Swaying of Interest
by reader-chic-2
Summary: Blake, an FBI odd-occurrence investigator, was on her last straw when she's sent to LaPush. In order to be allowed rights on their land, she fostered Theo, a new wolf to the pack and who had been taken under the wing of a certain hothead. Paul, who hated Blake since hearing of her arrival, imprinted on her. Could she uncover it before the plug was pulled?
1. Chapter 1

**Swaying of Interest Chapter 1: A Male Model Stares Me Down**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**A/N: For a first chapter, this is extremely short. As the chapters increase, so will the length. This was a little under 3,000 words. My average is somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 words. ****I hope you like this! It's definitely a bit different than the average. There is much in store to this :)**

* * *

><p>Blake's POV<p>

"LaPush? Forks? I've never heard of these names," I scoffed.

"These people," Director Jones spat, "have evaded every other detective we've sent there. It's your job as an FBI agent to uncover their secrets. There have been many wild reports and rumors. In the name of the United States of America, we cannot have something going on that we don't know of." I blinked blankly, looking over our futile pieces of evidence.

"It's what I do," I smirked cockily. I hadn't been assigned a case that was unsolvable.

"It better be. No more of your incidents," he snorted my way, sipping on his black coffee. He referred to my last two cases where uncovering it cost millions to the government. In all actuality, I did keep a terrorist group from forming. "This is it, Blake Raine. You killed a man. If you don't do well for this, you are going to jail." My breath fizzled out of my throat. I saw this coming; I had for months. On my last assignment, a person raised his gun during a huge town gathering. I thought he was going to blow up a bomb so I shot him. In truth, he was only starting the track competition, though he was still part of the speculated group under investigation.

Now I was sent on a hopeless mission.

* * *

><p>"Why can't I take him? Why can't any of us?" Paul slammed his hand on the desk, causing the social worked to nearly jump out of her skin. Theo sat quietly off to the side staring at his hands.<p>

"You are unfit with built up anger. Sam and Emily have too many negative influences running around. Kim and Jared only graduated from high school last year. Sue, Charlie, and anyone else are too old to be caring for such a 'on the move' teenager," she grumbled awkwardly. Paul wanted to punch her. She wanted to take Theo away from the only place he stayed out of trouble.

Theo had been moved around from New York all the way to Seattle, with many different stops in between moving him closer and closer each time back to his hometown. He was put in a boarding school with a sister he never met when he was barely born, meant for kids like them, in New York. She got them kicked out and separated forever. Theo had just arrived in LaPush two months ago where he finally found out where his anger came from. He phased into the Uley Pack where Paul took him under his wing. Nobody knew Paul had a soft side until he arrived and nobody felt compelled to mention it to Paul. Everyone saw how well the two affected each other, everyone except the social worker.

"Now," she sighed, sifting through papers, "since his latest foster parents refuse to house him, he will be moved into a group home in Bellingham, Washington, which is a ways north of Seattle. We pick Theo up in two days." Theo looked frantically to Paul. He was the only person who had ever seen him actually wear the look of fear, normally because Paul could help. Not this time.

* * *

><p>Sam gathered all the wolves together the next day. Paul hadn't had any sleep, trying to find a solution to Theo's situation. Everyone else had accepted it and Theo decided he just had to stop phasing. Only Paul knew he wasn't strong enough emotionally no matter how determined he was. Now they had another situation. Emily nudged Sam to get the ball rolling. "Look, there's an investigator trying to prod her way into LaPush. She interested in us, particularly our secrets," Sam paced the floor. "We have to be very guarded. Don't, under any circumstances, come close to the tree line until you back to human. Go to school regularly for the ones who do and, dammit, don't get into any fights."<p>

"She wants to live here?" Kim voiced uncertainly. "Isn't this only for Quileute's?"

"If we give her permission she can, but otherwise she can't. Though she claims to have Quileute blood in her family line, it will take months for her to prove it since she doesn't know her birth parents," Sam nodded. He didn't sound very hopeful. Paul hadn't been listening until then. An idea sparked in his mind.

"Wait, what if-?" Paul spoke but Jared cut him off.

"Paul, can we focus on this?" he complained, elbowing his friend and glancing towards Theo. He stood looking out the window with a sullen face. "Bringing it up doesn't help."

"No," Paul shoved his way to the front of the living room. "We can't solve this. One way or the other, the bitch is going to live here. Why don't we gain something from it?" A grin spread across his lips. Theo turned around when he heard the hopeful expression. Paul nodded. "She works for the FBI so any social worker has to approve of her."

"I don't see where this is going, Paul," Sam questioned. Theo grew an angry glare. They did anything they could to get him to stay, but what good would it do if he hated his foster parents again?

"We let her live here as long as she fosters Theo." All heads snapped to him. Nobody breathed. Could they do that? Would it be ethical? They sure as hell would find out.

* * *

><p>Though I couldn't yet live in LaPush, I could reside in Forks. There was another family under investigation, but they weren't the big culprits. They were the Cullen Family. One meeting with Dr. Cullen and I knew I'd have to save them for later. He was too kind to pry into their family just yet. Instead, I journeyed onto First Beach. I worked five out of the seven days of the week. The weekends were my days off, but I never took them. It was better to get it done and over with so I caused the community as little pain as possible. It was always during these times that the dirty secrets unusual to me yet life-threatening to others came out. Normally it was the cheaters who were founded out.<p>

My phone buzzed as I strolled along the beach, forming whom to talk to first and last. "Hello, Chief Swan," I chuckled. We had met before when he welcomed me into town. "How are you today?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine," he grumbled. I could image working beside that guy. Though he was awkward, he always brought a smile to my lips every sentence. He constantly talked about Bella and her family and how they could never hide anything. Every time he sweated right through his shirt. That confirmed the suspicions that something odd was going on in that family, though they couldn't be terrible. Charlie cleared his throat. "You may want to take a hold on your lawyer."

"Why?" I asked, shoving my toes into the grainy sand. It was chilly around this time but I loved it. The air briskly whipped across my face smelling of woods. It was familiar, but finally it didn't bring back a bad memory of my childhood. If I could keep this happy, content feeling within me, it would be a good move. The best way to do that was to have my adopted mother, also my lawyer, not come across country to stay for a few months by my side while we got the court settled.

"The elders of LaPush have a compromise. If you do something for them, they may grant your permission to stay there," he paused for a moment before adding in emphasis. "Away from the Cullen's." I chuckled. That Charlie.

"Yes Charlie, I'm sure we'd all like that very much. Thank you," I hung up after getting their number. Oddly enough, I was texted to meet them. In my business, you could get anything. I wasn't exactly scared to meet these Elders, but I knew they had close connections to those under analysis. If this group was in any way dangerous, it may have not been smart to join them for a lunch, but of the rumors I heard, none had said they were in the least bit dangerous.

As I pulled up in my jeep to the quaint house, I got another call. This one I dreaded. If I walked in first, I had an excuse to hang up. "Mother, I'm doing business," I growled. I loved my mother. She was the best woman I've ever met. She adopted me after only living with me for two weeks. She saved me, but she is also very nosey, something I took from her. That being said, I was professionally pushy. Mom just liked to her about everyone's personal relationships and whatnot. Still, she was the best lawyer I knew.

"Yes, yes, now what is the meaning of this message? I shouldn't fly down and settle my baby in?" she gasped in offense.

"Give me five minutes and I may have it settled," I knocked cautiously at the door. She began on a ramble. My heart thudded louder every second I waited for the door to open. When it did, I wasn't met with whom I expected. "I've got to go. _Cancel _the flight!" A young man smirked my way before opening the door fully. "I'm sorry, I'm supposed to be meeting someone by the name of Old Quil?" Odd names they had.

"He's an old bat," the man of about nineteen snorted. "I'm young Quil, but people just call me Quil." I knew I remembered that baby face from somewhere. Recognition flashed upon my face and I smiled slightly.

"Yes, that's right! Quil Ateara. Grandson of the tribal elder, Old Quil," I automatically rambled off. The flight was long. I read files, a lot. "I'm Andromeda Raine, but please, call me Blake."

"Okay…" he trailed off. Yes, I probably freaked him out. Not many people knew your life story before even meeting you. "Guys, the freak's here!" Yep, he just confirmed my assumption. When I walked further into the living room, I saw many of familiar faces from my files. Actually, there was only two missing. Collin and Brady weren't there, but everyone else seemed to be. I only took a quick glimpse though.

"Mrs. Freaky at your service," I blushed. Heck, if I kept arranging meetings like this, I wouldn't even need to live in LaPush. My job could be over with quickly and I'd have my comfy, secure position back. "I'm not seeing an Old Quil, Sue Clearwater, or Billy Black here."

"How would you know?" a person I believed to be Leah snorted. She was the only female under intense investigation.

"Leah, I know everyone," I beamed brightly. Normally, I'd go undercover for jobs like this, but this one was special. I was the only other person who had been sent on a mission like this. It worked not unlike the way cops can search a business. I would question them here and there, get associated in the town, snoop around a lot, and talk to neighbors. Most of the time, people of the community loved gossiping the rumors. "It seems like you want to get things started head on. I'd be happy to…"

A big bulky man cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Nobody appreciates your arrival," he grumbled. He radiated power that would normally scare people in my position. I was used to people like him though. "But we have decided that you can help us out as well."

"Why do you say that, Sam?" I stepped forward with a warm smile. Acting was all the part of the job. "Do you have something to hide?"

"Look here Princess," a booming voice interceded. I curled my hands into fists, nearly crushing my phone. Nicknames weren't something I was fond of, especially that one. "You are damn lucky we-," he cut off as I finally whipped my eyes to his.

There stood amongst many shirtless, fit men, a man that stood out. His tan complexion looked amazing on his bulging muscles. Thickly built, he stood 6'3" tall and had a natural sneer on his face that made my stomach flutter. Wispy hair topped him, but my favorite features, save his mouth-watering arm muscles, were his eyes. They were a deep, rich chestnut that held my gaze for way to long. His name was Paul. A previously unnoticed haze in my mind suddenly vanished. I was left with a cool, easy breeze after the storm feeling. Everything, for the moment, was at piece.

In my line of work, I need things to not be at peace. So, as usual, my entire life was never at piece, not for long at least. Still, as I tried to tear my eyes away from the rich chocolate eternities, a genuine smile tried creeping on my face. I smacked it away and came to my senses, clearing my throat. To my astonishment, Paul Lahote, playboy of the pack and a ball of anger – or that's what the papers tell me – fell to his knees in front of me with a grin as wide as it came. Somehow, I didn't find that odd at all.

"What's he doing?" My head snapped back into reality. A kid that seemed to hold as much anger as Paul did on his shoulders pushed to the front of the space. I was puzzled. Who was he? Obviously, he should be on the list to investigate, but I had never seen his face before, though a slight memory tugged in the back of my head. Surely I just misplaced my information.

"I'm sorry," I blushed and scooted around Paul, who's head seemed to follow me even as he came back to his feet. I stretched out my hand. "I believe I don't know your name, young man. Who are you?" A plastered a smile to my lips but for the first time ever meeting a suspect, it was genuine, though the boy had little to nothing to do with it.

"Theo," he grunted but didn't touch my hand. A loud splintering crash sounded behind me. Moving away from the awkward greeting, I spun around just in time to see Paul slam the door shut so hard it cracked. To the right was a hole in the wall as large as his fist. In the matter of my two-second absence, what made him so mad?

"Is that normal?" I questioned. Nobody answered as they looked between the door and me. I didn't do anything. I was supposed to be professional during my job, but hey, I was off today, right? "Dammit, would somebody tell me why I'm here? I have better things to do than witness Bigfoot get angry." Somebody laughed dryly, but at least I knew they weren't dead.

Nobody else made a noise. This was stupid. I felt like an idiot for even trying to settle this on my own. "I'll see you in court."

* * *

><p>"How was I supposed to know you'd turn into statues?" Paul growled. "That is in no way my fucking fault! Blame my truly idiotic genes!"<p>

"He's going to get us found out," Jake shoved Paul roughly. "We just escaped a battle and now we have to go into hiding?" Paul shoved him into a tree.

"Kill her! I don't _want_ this," he sneered. Those words hurt his lips to say, a stinging pain forming. In truth, he wanted to kill himself. Imprinting was the absolute last thing on his bucket list.

"Don't say that," Quil argued. "This may help us."

"By getting us dissected? Great help, Quil," Jared snorted. Paul's anger grew. They were mad at him? Couldn't he be mad? He just imprinted. That word was vile. Soon his entire nature would change into a soft, lovesick fool. Instead of getting laid, he'd be satisfied with a hug. Porn was ruined for him. His life would be devoted to what _she _wanted. Among everything he would have to break up with his insanely hot girlfriend though half her body was either fake or cut off, and he also found her at a stripper's bar. On second thought, that didn't sound terrible anymore to him.

"He'll make her love him so much that she _can't _do anything to hurt him," Quil grinned at his idea. Sam's head finally snapped up from his stupor.

"That's not a bad idea," he mused. Jake still held Paul against a tree. Did everyone think it was such a good idea?

"_Yes, it is!" _Paul roared as his body shook. He didn't try to fight it off as he phased on top of Jake, snarling and growling, ready to tackle Jake. There was pity in Jake's eyes, maybe that was the reason he finally shifted and fought Paul. Although, it could have been that he was still angry. Either way, the two fought long and hard, eventually releasing Paul's steam, but not his hatred. His revulsion of imprinting ran as deep as it came and he planned on it staying there.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I don't normally cut the scenes so short. This was just to get it all rolling. There's not much of an exposition, but we all know basically what the pack life is so I just like jumping into it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Stephenie Meyer owns all of the greatness known as Twilight, particularly the wolf packs!**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

The hotel I stayed at was slightly depressing, but I pushed through it anyways. My things were still back in Boston. Due to the rapidly cooling weather, all bugs evacuated into _this_ hotel room. I squished the roaches and swatted away the flies until there was enough clean space to walk to my bed. That was what my job got me. My real house that they would buy when I got permission to live on LaPush grounds would be much nicer.

Terror settled inside me. I hated bugs. I hated being alone in creepy motels where eerie people slept and watched. A knock on the door both sent me waves of relief and waves of fear. I bucked up and pulled open the door to be surprised by a familiar face. "Sam, are you going to punch a wall too, because I think you'd bring down the entire building if so?" I remarked, opening the door fully. He eyed the place. Now his house may have been tiny, but this room was tiny and disgusting.

"I see I won't have much trouble convincing you," Sam noted and motioned outside. Eager to escape the smell of mold, I leaned on the railing beside the large man.

"Convincing me to what? Leave? Sorry, that's not happening," I grinned. He owned a serious and grave expression. "I'm not unreasonable. Like I said, I like to make everyone happy."

"I'm not getting into this with you," he rolled his eyes. "You want the tribes permission to the land? Have it." I eyed him suspiciously. His posture was normal. His voice never cracked. It was sincere. That only made me more curious.

"And?"

"Smart girl," he nodded in approval. "You can have it as long as, and keep an open mind, you foster a kid I know. The entire community loves him. He's one of us. We can't just let him leave." Double taking, I checked to make sure he was sober. His expression was firm, but mine was not. I cracked up, letting out a hearty laugh followed by high-pitched giggles.

"Foster?" I laughed. "You want me to take care of a kid? That's a joke," I snorted. He peered at me with precaution before shaking his head. "You are joking, right?"

"I wish I were. He's a great kid put through rough times. We were all denied rights to custody over him," Sam began to fill me in. Now it made me mad. They actually asked me of this.

"Wait a second. You want to trust him with a stranger? I could have been some pedophile or drunk!" I gaped. How could they do that to the poor boy? In all honesty, I was tempted to do as they asked just to help him out.

"You are the police of our nation," Sam cleared his throat. "You should be better than that, I'd hope. Besides, you aren't the only one who did research. Andromeda Blake Raine, 22, born to Artemis and Jimmy Raine. Your mother died just after your brother's birth. You grew up for seven years in a trailer park. Jimmy was deemed unfit and you bounced from school to foster home to group home until you ended up being adopted by a lawyer." My mouth fell open again. He must have looked up the FBI personal. Only they knew all of that.

"Um, exactly my point," I gathered my wits again. "I could be just like my dad, a lunatic."

"Do you want to continue your investigation or not? We can fight the courts and we'll win. Or, while you are fighting the court, we can 'hide' everything too well for anyone to find. It's your choice," Sam nodded curtly to me. Then he jumped over the railing, which was two stories by the way, and began to leave.

Foster a child? I'd take care of him for an unknown amount of time. Could I seriously do that? I knew nothing of parenting. I did, however, know what it felt like to be bounced around from home to home. Though, wasn't that exactly what I would be doing to him? He'd live with me for merely a couple months, a year at absolute most and then what? He'd go straight back into foster care?

"W-wait!" I called, leaning further over the railing. Sam grinned up at me. "I'm not saying yes, but I'm not saying no."

"His name is Theo. I believe you two are acquaintances," Sam flashed a wink before running off, shouting, "Blake, meet us at my place tomorrow at twelve!"

Dear God, what did I get myself into?

* * *

><p>The moment my car door shut, people surrounded me. First, Emily squeezed the breath out of me. Then, Kim burst into tears, repeating, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," over and over. Of course, the guys all but hoisted me onto their shoulders. Over the course of two days, I found some odd physical qualities about them that I needed to confirm. If that was the progress, it looked like Theo and I wouldn't be staying in town for long.<p>

As my phone rung and rung, my arms were still pinned to Embry's chest. I tried to be polite in asking for some room, but that didn't work. "Let me answer my damn phone!" I screamed. Now that cleared the room fast. "Hello?" My voice changed into a sweet, darling tone.

"Detective Raine, how is the progress coming along? I see no update reports," Director asked. In the background on the other line, typing could be heard. I'd bet fifty bucks he had a cigar in his mouth. His office always smelled of cigars, something I didn't miss in the cool air of LaPush.

"Very well. I've been granted permission," I noted and followed the herd into the living room. We were to sign papers there. I had stayed up until dawn last night arranging this. It wasn't fun.

"Tha-that's terrific," he didn't sound as happy as you'd think, though what could I expect out of the jerk I had for a director? "How?" I finally met eyes with my soon-to-be foster son. He looked so unhappy, so tired. I remembered looking like that. I had cared nothing of my future because I figured nothing would come out of it even if I tried. That kid didn't deserve to be troubled with finding a home _and _being investigated.

"We made a compromise. I'm…" the room suddenly quieted. I noticed Paul was still missing. Everyone waited for me to begin. Nobody knew that Theo wasn't included in the files. It was obvious he was part of their gang. A blind man could tell. Under normal circumstances, I should have told Director of Theo. He'd be put under analysis as well, but his finances and alike would be paid for by the company, not by me. Still, I couldn't bring myself to do it to the kid. If all things went well, nobody would have to know. Whatever secret this group hid, it didn't seem dangerous. If anything, they'd make a big scandal in the newspaper and that was it. "I'm insisting, you _don't_ want to know."

Though I basically hissed that line, nearly every muscular guy in the room blushed or looked away awkwardly. Though they knew I lied, they still understood what I implied. Director of all people would understand and respect that. He chuckled heartily, "You do have persuasive ways, Miss Blake. If that's what it takes, I'm glad I sent you. You'll get her done."

"Yes sir," I said uncomfortably. "I'll send the weekly report when I have something." I quickly hung up and turned to have all eyes on me. Theo, of all people, looked pissed off at my last conversation. He was across the room, but if he did hear my claims of sleeping my way to get permission, then I'd be annoyed as well. We'd get along swimmingly. Luckily, the social worker didn't seem disturbed.

"Thank you for coming here today," he yawned, stood up, coughed into his hand, and shook mine. Cringing, I wiped it along my pants and sat across from him. "Let's get started…"

Mid-signing, the door burst open. "Am I late?" Paul shouted. Murmurs erupted in the room and I had a creeping feeling they were about my phone call. Another odd quality about them, they all seemed to have very good hearing. "Shut the hell up. I don't care about her methods." My suspicions were confirmed. Did these people gossip to everyone? Paul took a seat across from me beside of Theo. His hands shook uncontrollably, but nobody else seemed fazed. I, on the other hand, noticed how tight his expression was and the way he kept clenching his – sexy – jaw.

"Miss Raine?" I shook my head and continued to get this part over with. It was odd being on _this _side of the signing.

Finally, we finished the hard part. I didn't feel any different. There was only a part of me that constantly whispered, "Where's Theo? What's he doing?" It was unnerving. Eventually, the social worker left and so did a large group of guys. Theo almost escaped, but I grabbed his arm.

"Hey," I tugged him inside. "Where are you going?"

"Out," he shrugged. Paul, one of the guys he was walking with, looked back and groaned before coming beside us.

"Don't you want to get settled in? Wait, that's pretty hard considering we have to _buy _a house first," I rolled my eyes. Theo got confused. I supposed it wasn't every foster parent that let you chose the living abode. "You'll be there more than me I suspect. It's only fair you choose."

"Any house?" Paul intervened with a hint of anger to his tone.

"Any. The FBI pays for it," I nodded, unsure why he was so angry all the time. It was intimidating, sure, but really it was hot. He radiated masculinity. Being near him had my stomach twisting, so much it was almost painful. I wanted to leave.

"You can choose," Theo grunted and began to take off. I dangled the keys in front of me.

"You can drive," I said in a singsong voice. He spun around in surprise. Paul glanced down with a grin. The two boys raced for the car after I tossed them the keys. I turned to grab my coat and was surprised to nearly stumble into Kim. Hey eyes were puffy.

"I can tell we'll be great friends!" she hugged me. I squirmed out of her touched. Yuck. Surprise contact with people wasn't really my thing. I still didn't understand why these idiots were being so nice to me. It's like they wanted to be found out!

"You do know why I'm here, right?"

"No," she blushed, "but I know why you are staying!"

"Staying?"

"Kim! Enough!" Jared yelled from across the yard. She looked back and nodded grimly. Then she ran off. I rolled my eyes and walked to my car to see Paul sitting in the passenger seat.

"Get out."

"I called shotgun, sweetheart," Paul growled. He was always growling. I yanked open the door, pulled him by the ear, and shoved him on the ground. Then, I slide in and shut the door. Reluctantly, he climbed in the back. "You suck."

"Isn't this illegal?" Theo asked after he began backing out.

"Don't you have a learner's permit…?" I trailed off before mentally slapping myself. Of course he wouldn't. His foster parents didn't care to get him one. I never got one until I was adopted mainly because nobody knew anything about my parents. I did, but they didn't have any record of either, and they wouldn't believe a kid. "Well…we just won't tell the cops."

"You are the cop, dumb-dumb," Paul snorted.

"FBI agent," I corrected. "Much more glamorous than a cop, _dumb-dumb_. Who knows where some houses are for sale?"

Theo glanced over his shoulder to Paul. They both grinned. "You said the FBI pays for it?" I nodded. "Then we'll make them pay." I groaned. Idiots.

* * *

><p>"See you around, Princess," Paul slammed the door. Every time we spoke, he got mad. I didn't know why I tolerated him. Screaming, I threw a pillow at the door. Theo chuckled humorlessly from behind.<p>

"Why do you like him?"

"Shut up," he grumbled, walking to the couch. He took one look at it and glanced back at me. There was no way he'd fit. Even if he was cut in half, there was no way. "I'm taking the bed." I wanted to say no. There were much less bugs near the bed, but he was right.

"Sure," I nodded. "So we'll move in tomorrow while you are in school. I might not be done when you get home, though."

"Get somebody to help you," Theo shrugged off his jacket. For a fourteen-year-old boy, he looked too old. His childhood was stripped from him not only in memories but also in looks.

"I don't know anyone, Theo," I reminded him. Turning around, he sighed.

"Paul will help. You just have to ask." I snorted. Like that was going to happen.

"So, how many homes have you been to?" Theo took five steps closer to me. His face grew angrier. "I'm sure you've gone to a few schools, right? Those are normally better."

"Is this your idea of bonding?" He walked closer, getting in my face. I gulped. For a kid, he was really intimidating. "I don't like you. You don't know me. You only did this to stay here. I only did this because I _can't _leave LaPush. That's it. Nothing else. Good fucking night."

I stumbled back onto the couch. He marched into the bedroom and slammed the door. My hands buzzed. I hated that I couldn't exactly contradict what he said. It was the truth, but I _did_ care for him, at least I was going to. He just needed to see that.

The next day, I needed to work. If I didn't have anything to report by the end of the week, things wouldn't go over well. Despite the cruel things he said last night Theo had a good idea. I wasn't going to ask Paul though. I could ask his friends and get a little prying in. Five minutes later, Jared and Embry joined my moving party.

"Jared, Embry," I smiled. "Can you grab the couch?" He nodded. Embry got the television. "So Embry, how's your mom doing?"

"She's going crazy as usual…" Embry peered at me curiously.

"And Jared, how did you meet Kim?" Overly personal questions always put people on their personal guard. That opened up their secretive guard just a bit.

"In high school," Jared shrugged. To my surprise, Jared took the couch by himself. Note to self, Jared was unnaturally strong. I knew my ways. This wasn't my first mission.

"What do you do for fun around here?" I asked. Both boys shrugged. "What does Theo do?"

"Why do you care?" Embry asked. "No offense, but you just met him." I took two deep breaths. I needed to let people in. It got them talking.

"I know what he's going through. If I can help, I'm going to," I said. They nodded with a slight smile. We got those objects inside and I began moving them around while they got the rest of it. The house was not as huge as their first three. It took a lot of convincing, but I really didn't want the government going into more debt because of me. Still, it was nice. It was a two-bedroom house with two full baths. The living room was separated from the kitchen only by counter. The dinning room hooked around with a large window overlooking the forest. It was one of the better houses I've been put in. The door swung open with more force than necessary. "What have you got?" Paul stood with two large boxes in his arms. "Oh."

"This is Theo's stuff," he muttered, not looking at my eyes. I nodded but then he moved towards the master bedroom.

"Excuse me, his room is that one," I pointed to the room across from mine. Paul sighed and stood to full height. My eyes held his brown orbs for longer than normal before he finally spoke the ever so menacing words.

"No it's not."

"This is my house. Not his. Not yours," I poked his chest.

"Keep telling your self that, sweetheart," he moved so close that our chests were nearly touching. I tilted my head up defiantly.

"Oh, I will," I nodded. "So, how many kids are yours in this town, Lahore? That is your name, right?"

"Blake, Blake, Blake, your puns are too funny," Paul walked a circle around me. I kept my eyes on his, not daring to let him win. "I know why you didn't arrest Theo yesterday. You don't know how."

"I know how," I stopped walking and so did he. A smirk formed on his lips and I could have guessed his next lines.

"Then how come you slept your way to the top?" _Smack!_ It made a sound but it hurt me more. A devilish smile still played on his lips. Did he enjoy being hit? I hated Paul! He got under my skin so much I was tempted to kick him in his groin. His beautiful face didn't help.

Suddenly, the door burst open and we both jumped in surprise. Our lips jammed together so hard my upper one busted. Great! Blood began trailing down my face. "Fuck! A little warning!" I yelled and swirled around to see who caused me such embarrassment. Of course it would be my mother. "Shit."

"Blake, why didn't you mention your yummy boyfriend?" Mom nearly sang.

"He's about as far as it gets from my boyfriend," I rubbed my lip and glanced over my shoulder to Paul. I expected him to be as angry as me but instead he just stared at me. Why? Maybe he hit head. All I knew was that even though that was the roughest kiss I've ever had, it had the most sparks. Why did it have to be Paul Lahote? I would have settled for anyone else. "Paul!"

"I'll get you some ice," the words sounded forced out of his mouth but he ventured into the kitchen. My mom took that opportunity to rush me.

"Blake, sweetie, how is the sex?" she eyed inside like she was tempted to find out for herself.

"First off, no you can't fuck him," I don't know why I felt compelled to say that, but I did. It made my nerves settle a little bit. "Secondly, he's a suspect. I'm not fucking him."

"Oh come on, if I can't you better. You've never played by the rules," Mom cackled.

"One time!"

"No, you fucked the college professor as well. Thank goodness for that, I don't think you would have passed-,"

"MOM!" I yelled. "Paul can hear you!" Paul strolled back into the room with his hands shaking. Clenching his jaw, he handed me the bag of ice. After nodding to my mom he left. For some reason, I felt mortified that he knew about that. "Thanks a lot."

"Don't be so ashamed. You deserve this job. How's it going?" she sat on the newly placed couch. I supposed I had to tell her I'm taking care of a child now. I was not looking forward to it.

"Well…I have a kid," I shrugged with a smile. The boys brought in another round of furniture. I got the feeling they were listening in. My mom's mouth dropped open. "He's fourteen. Theo."

"You voluntarily decided to take care of a random kid?" She didn't scream often but she did then. It was loud and nearly broke my eardrums. Blushing, I nodded. "Why? What could you possibly gain? What's he like?"

"Well," I sighed but stopped talking. I knew nothing about him. Dammit. "Let me get back to you on that." I began walking out the door but Paul was nowhere in sight. Shit the one time I needed him he wasn't there.

"Where are you going?" she shouted. I spun around and called out cheerily with a grin. If I gave her the juicy information she wanted, I could leave without her following me.

"You said one of us should, right? Hey Embry, where did Paul go?" It was hard to force the grin on my lips. Knowing I needed Paul's help wasn't something I enjoyed. Embry nodded his head in the direction of the woods. I regretted not getting Paul's number. As I ran into the woods, Jared and Embry suddenly remembered something and began telling me to come back. I was already gone. "Paul! Paul, I need your help! It's about Theo!"

No response. I continued tramping deeper into the forest. You never realize how dark and scary a place is until you are in too deep to go back. Then I stumbled upon a clearing. There stood Theo undoing his pants while Paul took Theo's shirt from him. I noticed that Paul had no underwear on at all, just a shirt. As I emerged in the clearing, the two boys whipped around and stared wide-eyed at me. "Blake?" they voiced at the same time.

"What the _hell _are you two doing?" I screamed and reached to my back pocket. Wrapping my hand around my gun handle gave my head bit of fresh air.

"Blake," Paul held his hands up. I raised the gun and aimed it on his thigh just to be safe. If I had an excuse to shoot him, wouldn't that be pleasant? "This is not what you think."

"I think you took Theo out in the woods and began undressing him," I brushed my long hair out of my eyes. Theo's mouth dropped. What was he even doing out of school? "You have one minute. Theo, get the fuck over here."

"Blake-," Theo protested. I risked a glare at him and he got the massage. Paul gulped. "Honest, this is not what you're thinking."

"Is this your group cxthing? Raping kids?" I cocked a bullet into place. Paul's eyes wandered to Theo. Suddenly, his two hands gripped my arms and pinned it behind my back. I gritted my teeth. His hands were burning hot, too hot. I squirmed and I wiggled, but nothing overpowered him. Soon Paul took over, still with no pants mind you. Somehow, when his hands gripped over mine, a little bit of relief fled through me. "Fuck you!"

"Theo, get Sam," Paul growled. "I'll handle her but he needs to know." Theo nodded, stripped him of his short and left in only his underwear. Those sick bastards brainwashed this poor kid. I yelled for him to come back so long that my vocal cords seemed to break. Tears welled in my eyes. "Blake!"

"Pervert! You pedophile, I hope you rot in hell!" Even as the words exited my mouth I couldn't believe that a person like him could make it to hell. Despite my assumptions, it was too hard for me to imagine Paul actually doing that. Maybe he was brainwashed from a young age as well. Still, I couldn't imagine that was what went on in little old LaPush, Washington.

Paul cringed. With one hand pressed hard against my back, he picked up the gun and emptied the shells. "Blake, shut the hell up. Do you believe I would do something so cruel?" Hesitantly, I shook my head. "Exactly. Can I trust you to not attack me if I let you go?" Nodding, I scrambled away the moment he let go. I only made it to the first tree before realizing he wasn't following. Peering back, I found he looked pain, like the fact that I'd think that of him hurt.

"Explain. Now," I sat behind the first tree but stuck out my head to watch him. A smile pulled at his lips as he sat where he was. Well he didn't know that I had a knife in my boot. If only I could get close enough to weld it. Hell, who was I kidding? I could never purposefully hurt a face like that. It would be the same as killing a baby.

"I climbed a tree and my clothes got shredded when I fell. Theo was nearby for a school hike and he gave me his clothes," Paul said like it was a normal thing. He sounded like a little kid. Who climbed trees for fun? That was such an obvious lie!

I ran out from behind the tree with the pocketknife in my hand. It was stupid plan considering he easily could have reloaded my gun, but I tried. When he saw my knife, Paul only laughed. "Blake, you are just going to have to trust me here."

"That's my problem," I sneered and stuck the knife back into my boot. Paul grinned cheekily at me. "I'm not forgetting about this, but I'm not writing it up either."

"Thank you," Paul sighed. "So what did you need my help for?"

"How did you hear that?" I asked, walking to his side. He began to lead us out of the forest, which I was thankful for. I had no idea where we were at the moment. He shrugged. "Hmm…you are the closest one to Theo. I figured you could tell me a bit about him."

"No," Paul's smile faded. I fumbled at his strong distaste. His hands clenched. "Why? Why do you want to come here and ruin our lives?"

"I'm not asking for that reason," I protested.

"It seems like it," Paul snorted. We emerged from the forest and I exhaled loudly. "The question still stands. What can you possibly get from us?"

"I'm-,"

"We aren't hurting anyone. Why does the government care?" Paul's hands shook. _You are used to people reacting like this, Blake,_ I reminded myself. For the first time ever, I felt guilty for prying. I…I had never felt that way on an assignment before.

"Paul, I…" I couldn't find the right answer. Why _did_ we care so much? It was clear there have been no murders, no large number of kids hooked on drugs.

"Exactly." He rolled his eyes. "I'll see you around," Paul stormed over to the moving truck. He picked up the two mattresses and began hauling them in heatedly. I ran a hand through my hair as my mom came to my side.

"What's that about?" Mom pondered. I didn't know. I didn't know. All that I did know was that it hurt. It hurt to have the idiot mad at me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm so so so happy at the responses and the follows and favorites! Let's get four reviews and I'll update by Monday evening. Five would get you Sunday. Six is Saturday and so on. I made this one longer but that is about as much length as my chapters get, unless it's insanely intense and then they may bounce up or down a bit. If there are any questions, don't be afraid to ask! Remember, FOUR reviews and TWO follows/favorites!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. You know who does own it? Stephenie Meyer, that's who.**

* * *

><p>Paul walked through the door without knocking. Kim, Theo, and Jared watched television, oblivious to Paul's rampage. He couldn't keep his hands still but he'd be damned if he'd phase. On the table, he wiped it clean of all the dishes and placemats. Glass shattered everywhere. Emily ran in from her bedroom. Paul continued into the living room. He gripped the chair so hard it made impressions in the wood.<p>

"Paul," Theo warned him. They met eyes. "She's not worth it." They had come to that agreement in the woods when Paul was ready to phase. Theo helped him out until Blake came running after them.

"Easy for you to say," he sneered. "I have to spend my life with a person who wants to lock us all up!" He smacked away the nearest vase. Jared stood and shoved Kim away, but she shouted anyways.

"Blake will understand. Make her trust you!"

"You aren't putting the entire tribe's lives on the line, Kim," Theo spat.

"How am I supposed to keep the secret from Blake? She's my imprint. Eventually I won't be able to resist," Paul pulled at his hair angrily. Why would his imprint want to harm him? Why did he have to ever imprint. Having an investigator there was bad enough. Trusting her with Theo seemed like the end of the world after that, but then he had to imprint on the girl?

It was like giving somebody the gunpowder, the faulty lighter, and the gasoline but telling him not to light it up. Eventually, the lighter would create a spark and things would go up in flames seconds after that, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.

"Could you stop talking about Blake for one second?" Theo growled. He used to look up to Paul but now all he did was talk about Blake. Though it was always complaining, it was always about her.

Paul turned to him. "She ruined my life. I didn't want to be tied down. I didn't want any of this," Paul growled to the boy. He thought over the past week and wondered if he was right. The past three days, Paul still hadn't come to terms on having an imprint. He didn't feel that changed, though, but maybe he did tend to talk about her a lot.

"Yeah? Well she's still ruining mine," Theo snorted. "She's not a temporary foster mom. Because we are so close, she'll keep me forever. I'll be stuck with a spoiled, government loving brat who's never thought for one moment of anyone else."

"Is she really like that?" Paul hissed. Anger grew within him at those words. "She let you drive. She let you pick out the house. She bought you new clothes. At least she didn't slap you around like the last two houses!"

"Maybe that's better than her silence. She never speaks. When I do something wrong, she just takes it without a word. Nothing," Theo shook his head. Paul suddenly stepped in his face. He shoved him against the wall.

"Did you yell at her?" he snarled. Theo gulped. He'd never seen Paul do that to him, only other people. Paul raised a fist and punched him across the face. Theo screamed as he tackled him. The two rolled over each other, wrestling for advantage until Jared shoved the two apart.

"Look at you, already standing up for the bitch," Theo growled and readied to pounce. Paul's body shook. Kim opened the door, but he was determined not to phase.

"Do you think I want this? I imprinted and look at me!" Paul snarled. "Don't-,"

"Enough!" Kim shouted. She walked into the room looking pretty pissed off for Kim. "Imprinting isn't the end of the world. Can you imagine Jared still single? He wouldn't be so carefree or happy. Quil imprinted on a two year old and he has the best time of his life! You got it off better than him. It already has helped you. You finally broke it off with that bitch from the strip club whose brain was made of plastic!"

"Kim-," Paul began rolling his eyes. She wasn't having any of that.

"I know what I'm talking about, Paul. You need to get your cards in line. You may have imprinted, but that doesn't mean she has to click with you straight away, and she won't with the way you are treating her. Maybe she was brought here to get you all arrested, but it is _your _job to make sure she loves you too much for that to happen! If not for yourself, then do it for me, or Emily, or Jared. Every damn one of us are counting on you to get your dick out of your mouth and talk politely to the damn girl." Kim panted as she finished. Even Theo shut his trap. Jared stared in awe. He never knew his girlfriend could do that.

"She's right, Paul. Imprinting is the best thing that will happen to you. Falling in love is the better part of the story. Make sure yours is amazing; otherwise your entire life will dwindle from bad to worse," Jared let go of Theo and Paul to wrap Kim in his arms. Discreetly, he whispered, "I love you," repeatedly. After glaring at both of them, Kim allowed Jared to lead her out of the door. Even though they made Paul gag, he couldn't help but wonder what if felt like to hold somebody like that knowing they felt _exactly _how he did, whether it was deep in love or just there for comfort. He didn't change his opinion because of what Kim said - no he was too stubborn for that - he changed it out of pure curiosity as to what love may feel like.

* * *

><p>"You can meet him when he comes home from school," I promised Mom. She stretched her neck out.<p>

"That couch isn't worth anything darling."

"Should I have you sue them?" I egged her on. If she took the bait, she could talk all day without me saying more than a few words.

"That's not a bad idea, Blake. You may be a cop, but lawyers can do anything they want…" she droned on and on. We drove to meet Charlie Swan to talk about the constant bear sightings. They had been going down recently, but I was determined to question every single person who claimed they saw one. Still, on the seemingly lone drive there, I begged for something to save me from the never-ending monologue. Watch out for what you wish for.

My phone rang at my side. Thank the lord. "Mrs. Raine?"

"I'm not married, thank you," I sighed. The number pulled up on the scanner. It was the local high school. Right, I had a kid going there. Duh. "How can I help you?"

"I'm Mr. Hunt. I have your kid, Theo, here in my office. I'm afraid he's gotten himself into a fight," Mr. Hunt gruffly said. I sighed and pulled the car to the side of the road. "I think you should come here." I sped to the school immediately while Mom asked question after question.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"Not a scratch on him."

"Really?" I pondered. "No blood samples you could give me. No…broken bones needing an x-ray?" Mom burst into laughter beside me. I scowled. Maybe I wasn't investigating Theo, but it could help me figure out why these men seemed to be on steroids. If that were the only cause, then I'd be out of a job. It would be best to clear that out of the way first.

"No ma'am, I'm afraid not?" Mr. Hunt had a right to be unsure of my question. I hung up I aggravation. For a law-abiding citizen, I sped very often. By the time I reached the school, Mom had only talked my ear off a little.

"Yes," I cut her off. "You get to meet him. He's probably suspended anyways so I'll need you to baby sit him."

"What are moms for?" she squealed. For a mom, she was only about ten years older than me. Finally, I walked into the office – pretty damn pissed off – and met Sam as well. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom," I hushed. "You wait out here. Sam," I motioned him to come with me to the office. "Why?"

"Because Theo will listen to me," he grunted. "I also have ties with the principle. Ethical ties." I shoved his shoulder.

"Watch it," I groaned. I was there for three days and they all knew about my bad habits. "Principle Hunt, I'm glad to meet you." We shook hands while Theo trudged into the office. He looked satisfied so I nudged him and pointed to his prideful smirk. "What's going on?"

"Well, Theo thought it would be funny to pick a fight with a group of guys-," the principle began. I stopped him.

"Group? How many?" I asked. Theo held up the number five. I was very impressed. He won against five guys. I'm glad I didn't have to teach him any of my police training fighting tips. "And he's getting punished?"

"He shouldn't have picked the fight, Blake," Sam reminded me. He glared at Theo. He finally stopped his smiling. "This won't happen again, I'll make sure of it."

"That's nice, but I'm not finished. One of the seniors had his leg broken. He's suing Theo. If the scouts of his top three colleges don't give him full ride, Theo will have to pay for his college funds. Of course, you can battle it out in court, but it can really only go one way once it's out in the papers," Mr. Hunt reluctantly said. "This is why the no violence policy is enforced strongly, Sam. Your boys seem to always evade it."

The first thought that ran through my mind was, 'He beat up five seniors?' Then, the information processed. "I don't have sixty thousand damn dollars!" Theo threw his head back. Sam gripped his shoulder.

"It was one punch. Hasn't the scouts already seen the kid?" Sam growled. I knew his questions wouldn't do any good. Finally, I thought things through. "There's no way he can pay that."

"We know. That's why we wanted to confirm that the FBI will pay for it," Mr. Hunt looked to me. I perked up from my thoughts. "Since you are technically 'undercover' the FBI must be paying you extra to keep Theo. In theory, the FBI has to pay for it, correct?"

They all looked to me but I couldn't form words. Theo's helpless face flashed before my eyes. If there was something going on here, he wasn't part of it. I was sure. Did I have to tell them? I couldn't stand the thoughts. Ever since I met Theo, I felt a pull towards him. There was no way I'd cause him harm.

"No," I blinked and put a smile on my face. I looked to Theo then back to Mr. Hunt. "No, I'll pay for it." He needed a low profile. "No need for court. Tell the family I'll pay for his medical and college costs. Is that all?"

"Blake!" Sam shouted. "You don't have that kind of money."

"I do," I rolled my eyes. My mom was a lawyer. Her husband before he died was a radiologist. Needless to say, they were loaded. My inheritance was too much for me to even imagine blowing through. "I have somewhere to be. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, he's suspended for a two days. Don't you want to, uh, discuss what it was over?" Mr. Hunt must have felt awkward. Maybe he was used to dealing things Sam's ways, but I did things differently.

"I trust there's a damn good reason. Besides, he can tell me all about it while he fixes dinner and unpacks my clothes," I shot an evil grin to Theo. He looked like I just told him to jump off a bridge. Mr. Hunt let me leave after signing a few papers. The moment we were in the parking lot, Sam shoved Theo.

"Idiot. She takes you in and now you'll cost her a fortune," Sam growled. "I told you if this…" He stopped and looked to me.

"I'm not doing any of those chores," was the only thanks I got.

"If you actually looked around the house, you'd notice the unpacking was finished and we have enough dishes to last us a week from neighbors. Do you think I'd trust you to cook for me? No, but your punishment will be utterly brutal," I turned from my walk with a grin. "I'm thinking a family game night!"

"She's joking, right?" Theo scoffed. My mom jumped beside me suddenly.

"She's not. I did that with her," she grinned. "Catherine Fallon, but you can call me grandma – uh, actually don't. Catherine is fine. I'm too young for that."

I blushed, "Theo, Sam, meet my mom." Theo scowled. "Hop in the car. I'm going to have a word with Sam." They did as told while Theo groaned, having to listen to my mom. Poor kid. "Sam, I'm sure you have questions, but I'm asking one first. Why is it he seems deathly afraid of you?"

"My business, not yours. Besides, he's not. Blake, just know that I he won't act up again. In our town, I take care of the 'off the lines' kids."

"I appreciate that Sam," I bite my lip. He was my kid now. There was no reason for Sam to 'take him under his wing.' To me, it looked like Paul was the one under his wing. "Just remember, there was a reason I have him and not you."

The car ride began silently until Theo finally broke the silence. "Blake, why did you do that?"

"Really, sweetheart, let the FBI take care of it," Mom brushed my shoulder from the backseat. I didn't exactly want to come right out with it in the car. I'd have a long talk with Theo when I came home from work.

"I have my reasons. Mom, at three you'll go to your hotel and tell the judge that we don't need the court. Then you'll schedule your flight. I love you, but LaPush doesn't have enough room for the both for us. Theo, I'll see you at four," I laid out the game plan for them.

"Five. I have somewhere to be," Theo sighed. I glanced to him. He looked tense like he was nervous he'd have to explain.

"Okay," I nodded. "You can't use the car. Don't do drugs. I'd also prefer you don't drink, but if you do, don't make me have to turn you in." He turned fully to me with a wide-open mouth. "Look at the road!"

"Right," he mumbled.

"I know it's got something to do with what I'm investigating. It's okay. I have better ways to find out than forcing your hand."

* * *

><p>By the end of the week, I was dead tired and had no progress at all. I had to write up the weekly report but I didn't want to say any of what I saw. My list of witnesses dwindled down quickly. All of my audio surveillance equipment picked up in the woods was white sound. All the video cameras had been broken with no clues as to how.<p>

Then I came home to the living room resembling a high school boy's locker room. Paul, Theo, Embry, and Jake relaxed on my couches. The television had empty soda cans on it. An empty pizza box was on the floor. One half full one was upside down on the recliner. Three pieces of pizza crust lied on the carpet, sauce under them. Then Theo let out a loud burp.

"Theo, what is the meaning of this?" I stood in front of the television. Paul and Jared seemed to be exchanging a silent conversation while Jake tried to see. A girl I was familiar with from her files looked much older than she should have been. Renesmee Cullen was her name. Her file said her to be nine, but she looked fourteen.

"We like hanging here more than Sam's," he shrugged. "Jake's allowed to bring Renesmee here for longer." I smiled tightly and shut off the TV.

"Great. Let's have a chat, shall we?" He followed me into the kitchen, which offered zero to little privacy. "Look, I know you are getting used to this house and this foster parent, but I'm done being the nice guy. You are going to pick up the living room and get the stain out of the carpet."

"What if I say no?" Theo smirked.

"I'd say that I have let you run off with your little herd without question and that can easily stop," I poked at his chest. I was still intimidating even though he easily had half a foot over my head.

"Then ask. Ask away. I don't care," Theo snorted. He had an attitude that I, normally, respected, but this was too much. He didn't even understand the amount of danger the FBI held over him. That was why most kids had parents to keep them from getting into sticky situations like this. Sadly, his temporary parent was the one person who got him into it.

"Don't you understand!? Every single word I speak to anybody isn't safe! Every time I come into contact with you, I should be fired," I screamed. I knew the guys listened in, but maybe they should.

"What are you going at?" Paul walked in beside me. I frowned.

"N-nothing," I stuttered. "Just pick the damn kitchen up." I threw my jacket on the counter and dashed to my bedroom. That was close. They should know that Theo wasn't mentioned, but every time I looked to Paul, I felt guilty for even being there. It wouldn't help if they thought I was the least bit on their side. I needed to stay strong.

After a long shower, I exited with a better head. Theo had at least picked up the visible dirt. That was as good as he'd get. Renesmee began showing him how to work the vacuum. She was a trooper. Seeing me, she smiled. "I'm Renesmee."

"Hello," I smiled. "How old are you?"

She began to say something, but Jake pulled her on his back. "We'll see you around, Blake." I bit my lip but, in the end, I couldn't force them to stay. Jared followed after giving Paul a long stare.

"I'll take over, Theo," Paul sighed and took the vacuum. Theo and I fell against the divider, both exhausted.

"I spent an hour jogging, in heel boots, beside an idiot named Mike Newton who, it turns out, didn't even see the 'bear' himself. How was your day, Theo?" I groaned, throwing my head on the counter. Now I had to write a report of the last week by tomorrow evening. How wonderful?

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you want to pay for my mistakes? Why not the FBI?" Theo asked. I looked up through my hair at him, too tired to form sentences for a moment. "Do you honestly care for them so much you are willing to put yourself in debt rather than them?"

I slammed my hand on the counter in frustration. "Dammit," I groaned. "For the twentieth time, that's far under my balance. Do you know what happens if they pay for your mistakes?" I had to exaggerate to keep them from figuring out that I was risking the law for him, a boy I barely knew. If the FBI had proof, they could put me away from withholding valuable truth. "They get the property over you. Until I ask them for financial or legal help concerning you, I am your foster mom, not them. You are already a kid of the state, but you don't want to extend it to the FBI."

"Why? Don't you have other things to spend the money on?" Theo loved to be _exactly _like Paul. They both got under my skin so much I was tempted to both slap them and hug them at the same time.

"Because!" I yelled, finally sitting up. "I care about you, Theo. Whether it's because I was in your position once or because I know, deep, deep down, you do indeed have a good personality I'm not sure! I care what happens to you. We are ruthless. The moment the FBI gets their hands on you, you don't have a say to what college you go to, what job you pick. They own you, Theo. I am _not_ letting that happen."

Theo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He didn't know what to say. I wouldn't either. I didn't when my mom told me that, or something along those lines. His mouth tried to form words. The only sound was of the vacuum in the background. Eventually, he did his best. "I-," It was at least clear that he appreciated the speech, though he had no idea how to respond. Silence often speaks louder than words.

"Come here," I walked around and opened my arms up. Still seeming to be confused, Theo hugged me back. I sighed into him. Everything felt perfect with him. It's like he was my long lost child who finally returned home, a puzzle piece fitting into my side.

Then I heard it. "Thank you," Theo's words were barely above a whisper, but they hit me like a wrecking ball. Like water paint sliding off wax paper, I was shown a piece of his personality. Up until then, Theo seemed to just be there. He never spoke strong emotion other than anger. Everything was about him at the same time as him not even being there. Finally, he felt like he was there _with_ me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Short and sweet. I figured I'd leave off with a happy note, no? So I basically have my last Seth story finished and it was a major relief as nobody really reviewed much. I'm so glad it is better feedback here. Any problems with this, just review or PM me. I'd really appreciate it if you follow/favorite it as well! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. SM owns all.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

It didn't take long for Theo to wander to his room and fall asleep. He was always exhausted. I walked into the living room to find it all clean. "Paul?" I asked in surprise. He came around the corner and jumped on the couch, stretching himself out. I chuckled and sat on his feet with my knees pulled to my chest. He looked at me and bit his lip. I waited for him to finally ask what was bothering him.

"Did you really mean what you said today?" he looked to me, for once without as much anger. In the corner of his eye stood a little sparkle that I adored. It glinted. I nodded. "You can't mess with a boy like him, Blake."

"I know," I agreed. He turned to me in question.

"How would you know?"

"Because I used to be him," I shrugged. "My mom died about a week after giving birth to my brother. My dad couldn't take care of us. He did some crazy drugs. I went to this boarding school first where they took care of my brother, but I got us kicked out. After that, I never saw him again and I was shipped to nearly every foster house on the east coast. He has no family. I never did either. I understand, Paul. Why are you so protective of him?" I pestered. He acted like he was his father. Paul looked away before answering.

"I like the kid," was all he said. We sat there for a while. It felt good being around him, especially when we weren't fighting. It was times like these that made me doubt my career choice. In the small town of LaPush, was there really anything to discover worth the trouble? "Blake?" He snapped me out of my daze.

"Hmm?" I looked to the side.

"If you didn't get assigned where to go, where would you live?" It was obvious that wasn't what was on his mind. He kept giving me this look that I couldn't name. It almost seemed like admiration, but that made no sense. He'd have to enjoy my presence for that, and there was no way he'd admit to that.

"I'm not sure," I shrugged. "Any suggestions?"

"Here," Paul stated flatly. "It's quiet, everyone knows everyone. Nothing much happens."

"You aren't saying this to throw me off my trail are you? Something definitely happens, Lahore," I threw a wink, causing him to laugh. Paul wiggled his toes under my butt and I squealed.

"Want to know the best part, Princess?" I scowled but listened anyways. Paul sat up and leaned as close as he could get to my ear, as if this information as top secret. The hair on the back of my neck prickled at his close range. "Everyone loves the weather."

"Ohhooo," I cackled too hard for that small of a joke. Paul made me laugh like that. "I'll drink to that!" I dashed into the kitchen and fetched us two beers. "For LaPush's weather!"

"For the weather," Paul clinked his bottle to mine, never leaving my gaze. Six beers later I was tipsier than a helicopter with no pilot. Yes, that comparison was totally random, but I was not in an exact lucid state. "He did what?"

"I'm not kidding," I rushed forward so much I basically sat on his lap, but neither of us minded. He simply grinned even more. "His dick was as tiny as they get. With a little butter, a good half of it fit into the watering hose. He had a shot at getting more until I turned on the water." My time undercover in college, however short it was, was bliss.

"You are cruel, Blake," Paul couldn't control his laughter. Finally, we stopped in order to breathe. My head rested on his shoulder. I stumbled back when I realized his breathe shared with mine. "Scared to kiss me again? I can assure you, I'm much better than what you experienced." Blushing, I shook my head. He made me flush so easily. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," I offered.

"Why do you enjoy what you do?" Paul cocked his head to the side, peering at me as I brought a response to my mouth.

"I get to pretend I'm somebody I'm not," I blushed and looked at my hands in my lap. I wasn't passionate about much, but my career was one of the things. "I get to create a whole new person every couple of months. Normally…normally I don't have to, uh, be myself. I'm a little weak when it comes to that it seems." Taking a sip of my beer, I leaned back, watching him process what I said. I could sit there listening to him talk about nothing or think about everything all day long. Anything he did was so interesting from clenching his jaw to watching me gaze at him.

"Eventually," Paul advised, "Blake, you'll want to stop pretending and be yourself."

"Why? What's so great about myself?" I wasn't the emotional drunk, but talking to Paul sobered me up more than I was without alcohol in my system, and that girl wasn't the best emotional wise. If I worked hard enough, I could put up natural barriers that were harder to break down than The Great Wall of China. It was when somebody came along able to break them by saying two words that baffled me.

"I think you're pretty cool, Blake," Paul smiled faintly. I locked my eyes to his. The brown contrast reflected onto me and for the first time since I could remember, I saw a reflection of the true girl locked inside my body. A pathetically jubilant grin spread upon my lips.

In the distance, a large howl sounded. I jumped but excitement flushed through me. If the regular wolves were so close, surely the famous large wolves would follow. Tomorrow, I'd go tracking.

Paul glanced wistfully at the clock and grimaced. "It's late," he declared and stood. "Thank you for the beers, Blake."

"Nobody will believe me, you know," I pestered him. He smirked. I supposed he enjoyed the fact that he got me drunker than he. "Paul Lahote spent the good part of the night at my house without getting laid. Gasp!" He scowled and shoved my shoulder but his lips tugged upwards.

"You aren't as bad as I thought," he laughed. "Nobody will believe me either. I slept with Blake and I'm not her boss? Gasp."

"We didn't sleep together," I frowned through my giggles.

"Not yet," Paul mused. "But you've thought of it." That cocky bastard, I smacked him until he was halfway across the lawn. Before disappearing into the woods, a wink came my way. I sighed wistfully and closed the door behind me. Then, I lowered myself to the ground carefully. How was it that nine times out of ten, Paul aggravated me more than my mother herself, yet I couldn't get enough of him the one time he so cleverly held some gentle words?

LINE

I sat at my desk pondering what I should include in my progress report. My headache reminded me of last night. Oh how I wanted to say that Paul had somehow been killed, but then they'd look up his death notice and it wouldn't be there. Needless to say, Paul had his grip on me, but I knew what he was like. There was no way I'd be another one-night-stand. If, and that was a big if, we ever had sex, it won't be any time soon.

Shaking my head, I began to type. That was only one part of Paul. It was a rare time when I could stand being around him but those times were my happiest of those spent in LaPush. Simply being around him made my life instantly eventful, though half the time those events were unwelcome. Did he even like me in the sexual way? A small part of my brain hissed, "It doesn't matter, he'll fuck anything that walks with two legs." I shushed it up quickly. Maybe that was true, but there had to be some girl out there that he'd settle down for. The question was; could that be me? No, I told myself, I didn't care.

"Blake, I'll be with Sam most of the day…" Theo banged on the wall before coming back into my room. I blushed and continued typing. "What are you writing?" Leveling my eyes with his gave away the answer. His neutral expression turned into anger. "Right."

"You know this is my job," I put the laptop aside for the moment. His hand clenched hard around my door. Could the wood stand up to his might? "I'm so-,"

"I. Understand," he obviously didn't because his teeth were clenched, holding in anger. I shook my head, got up and closed my door. Some things were better left in the dark. I knew he left when the door slammed.

It took me nearly half an hour to begin writing and I finished in that time as well. I was done by one o'clock, just when the first round of hungry boys traveled in. I was told they split their time between my house and Emily's, mainly because of some split of the packs. I pried but couldn't get any other information out of them. I reread my report one more time before sending it.

_Dear Director, there isn't too much to report. They are different than most, but I'll crack them eventually. I see much of Paul and Jared. The rest I see at least daily. They all seem to have very hot skin; almost a burning sensation goes through me when I touch them. They all can hear very well, though it doesn't seem inhuman, I get an odd feeling that they have no trouble listening in from room to room. They have a lot of strength, though that makes sense due to their large muscles, but I have no idea how they have them. I haven't seen them working out. The only thing that stood out was that I constantly found them disappearing and appearing in the woods. One second I was following Quil and the next, a large whoosh of the wind comes and I can't pick up any noise. I'm sending my recording of the witnesses over, but none have been eventful. I'll keep on my toes. Respectfully, Detective Andromeda Raine_

"Why do you call yourself Blake if your name is Andromeda?" Seth's pestering voice surprised me. I jumped and spun around in my chair. Those boys were so sneaky. As a trained cop, I have been taught to keep on my senses and detect a spy, especially when writing information like this down.

"This is classified," I growled and slammed my laptop shut. "What do you want? I have a hike to go on so I can't cook."

"That's why I'm here," he beamed. I smiled faintly. Hiking was best done alone when it came to me. I kept on a brisk pace that left no room for talking. "Paul wanted to join you, but we haven't spoken yet so I offered. He's working and we don't want him missing another shift." I blinked in surprise. Paul wanted to hike with me. That option seemed much better. Although, I did need to interview all of the guys weekly and I missed Seth last week.

"Sure, but you have to keep up," I bent down to tie my shoe and saw that Seth had none. "Did Sue drop you on your head as a child? Why are you in only shorts for hiking mid-winter?" Most people assume detective work was done through rash interrogations and blunt questions. I never found those methods effective. If you carried on what seemed like a casual conversation, you were more likely to get what you needed and some unexpected extra clues. Obviously, it depended on the topics.

"No," Seth chuckled. His eyes held this sparkle that looked adorable on the little guy. Theo had that same sparkle. They all really did look alike with their black hair and boyish jawline. Theo had a different shaped nose that was equally cute and his face was just a bit longer than Seth's, but they had the same lips and eyes. "If you insist, but I would easily be fine. _'The cold never bothered me anyways_.'" He seriously quoted the '_Frozen' _movie?

I rolled my eyes, "This will be a long day, won't it?" He laughed wholeheartedly and jogged outside. I carefully locked my door as an eerie feeling hung over my head. Rechecking the locks and looking around, I shook off the premonition.

We drove to a known hiking trail, but I quickly diverted us off of it. The chilly air had my nose red and running but my senses were on a high alert. Every time Seth crunched the leaves under his feet, I heard. "Dammit Seth, wolves have better ears than I do and I've heard every last one." It was like he was purposefully doing this. Every five minutes or so he'd make some sound from coughing to 'falling' but I knew he didn't really fall.

I supposed it didn't matter though. Ever sense last night, there had been no howls. "Maybe you should go in the night," Seth offered. "Can we sit? My feet hurt."

"Maybe if you'd worn shoes…" I mumbled but sat against the tree anyways. It was five o'clock and the sun was setting fast. We had to turn back or we wouldn't make it before dark. I hadn't even gotten a question in the entire time. If one search failed, I had to move on. "Are you trying to get me killed or something? Murderers come in the woods at night, idiot."

"Just trying to help," Seth checked his phone as a message appeared. A childish grin spread on his lips. "So, Blake, what do you think of us?"

"I think you aren't the one who should be asking the questions," I shrugged and gulped down my last water. Seth tossed me his, which I was grateful for and I tossed him my granola bars, though that didn't make a dent in his hunger. They must have had pits for stomachs. "How close are you and Leah?"

"Not too close," he assured me. I laughed sadly. I've always wanted a sibling. He had one, though she was definitely a work case, they didn't share a large of bond. Leah was slightly protective of him and he was defensive of that, but that was his way of showing his love. "Do you have a sister?"

"No," I shook my head. "I did have a little brother, but we were separated before he was one. I've always felt guilty of that." Seth's face turned downward. He didn't ask why, as I knew he would do. Seth wasn't a curious fellow. He liked to make people happy.

"I…I think all big sisters are like that. Leah feels guilty over my dad's death. You should tell her about your brother. She needs somebody who's been through what she went through," Seth sighed, fiddling with his hands. I didn't feel bad for playing with most suspects' emotions, mainly because most kept bad traits in them, but this kid didn't have a bad bone in his body. If I didn't know he hid some big secret from me, I'd be close to feeling guilty.

"Why does she feel so guilty?" I asked. Again, I used my technique. Adding 'so' in kept the conversation casual. If I were a friend and didn't want to offend him by sounding curious instead of concerned, I'd use so to make it seem like I cared more about her feelings. See this mind? This mind was the reason I had no friends in high school! Though it could have been due to my anger issues. They were worse back in the day.

Seth thought long about his answer. "She feels like she caused it – the heart attack. It's a long story. That's not all Leah's mad about though. Sam and her used to be in a serious relationship, they had promise rings and Sam had bought her engagement ring, ready to propose the next weekend. Then Emily, our cousin, visited us. Here in LaPush, we believe in 'love at first sight' to the maximum. Emily was Sam's everything all in one moment. There was no escaping the pull towards each other. Eventually, Sam dumped Leah and got with Emily. Leah's hated the world ever since."

"How awful! Sam doesn't seem like that kind of guy," I protested. It was hard to even imagine Sam with Leah though. Emily constantly clung to Sam like her life depended on it, though it was said that he did save her from a bear attack. They fitted together so perfectly.

"Well he's not, Blake," Seth objected. "Think of it like you grew up living on a boat. You had everything you needed and the people you needed. Life was fine. Suddenly, you find land. It's not that you just have an overwhelming urge to live on land, an urge that can be somewhat compressed, it's that your ship sinks. There's no turning back, but you didn't want to anyways. It was a relief." Did those words just come out of little Seth Clearwater's mouth?

"You sure know a lot about his feelings," I mused, "especially for the guy who broke your sister's heart." Seth paled momentarily. "You just have to understand. I don't believe in love at first site one bit, so it's hard for me to even see that as a possibility." Even if something like that were real, who would want to have something that could cause somebody so much damage at your gain?

Footsteps sounded in the distance. I grinned and whispered to Seth to shut up. He gulped. Gripping my gun holster, I got to my knees and kneeled, waiting for the wolf to come on site. What I found had me depressed. "What the fuck are you doing out here?"

Paul pretended to be hurt by my comment. "I would never miss a chance to be shot at," he smirked, placing his stomach right against the barrel. Instinctively, my finger nearest the trigger all but broke itself trying to move as far from it as it could get. Next I knew, the safety was on and it was dropped on the ground. I rubbed my hand and cursed myself for being so clumsy. "Seth, you need to learn to shut your yapper. I could hear you talking a mile away." With the look he gave Seth, he meant a totally different message.

"Right," Seth laughed cautiously. "I'll see you two later."

"Seth, it's in the middle of nowhere."

"Blake, we've grown up in these mountains," Paul snorted, shoving Seth up the hill. "You are just scared I'll bring up last night."

"No, I'm not," I stood and got my things together. Break time was over.

"Yes you are."

"No.

"Yes, Princess, you are."

"No, Lahore, I'm not."

"Bye," Seth laughed as he set out in what appeared to be a dead sprint up the hill. I wondered why we didn't was go that way but didn't bring it to Paul's attention. The less the conversation was the better.

"You look pretty," Paul stated out of the blue. I scoffed. My hair had been caught in every twig there was, my white tank top was soaked from the midday rain and partially see-through, and – I stopped my thoughts at that. Duh.

"Eye's up. Mouth shut."

He howled with laughter and stumbled to my side. I looked him over fully. There were black rings under his eyes and his hair had more dirt than there was sand in a dessert. Worry shot through me. Did something happen? What if I caused it by keeping him up so late? He needed to take better care of himself. Sleep was important. "Paul, what happened to you?"

"Nothing that matter," Paul grinned. I growled. He could have at least given me a hint. We were open last night, why did he have to go back to his annoying normal self? I began a steady jog, hoping to shrug him off, but that wasn't working. He seemed to have fewer struggles than me. "Did you find any wolves, Princess?"

I shook my head. "No thanks to Seth," I chuckled to myself. "He really…what?" Paul kept staring at me with a look of perplexing thoughtfulness. I met his brown eyes and blushed. He openly checked me out. I had never met such a boisterous and bold man in my life, but I didn't want him to stop either.

"You really do look beautiful," Paul grinned.

"Are we really back in high school again?" I tried for a sarcastic comment, but that didn't lesson the energy created through the look he gave me. It looked like by just being there, I made his day. Nobody had ever felt that way about me without previously having fucked me. It was nice. "Thanks."

"Now was that so hard to say?" Paul nudged my side. I rolled my eyes. My phone beeped, alerting me of a message. It was from the director. I skimmed through it quickly and groaned. "What's wrong?"

"He feels the need to remind me how to do my job," I nearly shout. Though, he did have a point. If I ever hoped to join back with my coworkers at the agency without having to worry about my job, then I'd need to get a jumpstart on progress. Still, the thought of leaving this utterly fascinating town saddened me more than I liked to admit. "So, Paul, what do you do for fun?"

"You have to tell them everything?" Paul mused, rubbing his chin. I nodded. "Okay then, let's give them a laugh. I masturbate. And on the weekends, I-,"

"Paul!" I screamed, shoving his shoulder. I decided to skip that because, frankly, I didn't know if he was totally joking. The more he talked about himself masturbating, the more flustered I got. Did it suddenly get hot outside? "Whom do you spend most of your time with?"

"Well that depends. It's a toss up between Vanessa and Veronica; the only difference is their hair color and boob size. They are the stars of my favorite porn video," Paul had trouble holding back his laughter, as did I. He had a sick mind if this was the information he thought was conserved enough to share in front of me.

The conversation kept on like that. I got nowhere with the fool, but at least he gave me some type of humor. In the end, it took less time walking back with somebody at my side that made me laugh. Finally, we made it home. Paul glanced down to his watch as if he had somewhere to be. I rolled my eyes. "Just go already. My house is right there," I pointed across the road. Paul reluctantly nodded.

"One more thing," Paul stopped me from walking on. He pulled me behind a tree while my heart rate increased. Paul never scared me, but the hungry look in his eyes had my stomach fluttering enough to worry me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he shoved me against a tree. My breath caught in my throat as he moved his head closer. Before I could react, two burning lips were pressed to my cold ones.

You know how they say sparks fly when you kiss 'the one?' That's not true, not at all. Sparks would have been distracting. For the full five seconds, I was only focused on the captivating heat and the warm feeling I got in the pit of my stomach. I felt myself melting at his touch even as he pulled away. Suddenly, I'd do anything for him just to feel so whole again.

Opening my eyes, I stared star-struck at him in awe. I had been kissed a lot, but never like that. That was only what passed for a peck, nothing more, but I was fully prepared to give up sex with any other guy as long as Paul would peck my lips like that weekly. Daily. Hourly.

Then I saw his look. It depressed me more than I let on. I could feel my heart tear in two. All my hopes suck down to my feet, causing me to feel particularly stupid for even feeling them in the first place. He looked confused, furrowing his eyes. I watching in horror as he ran a hand through his hair and stumbled back. Shock took over his expression, as he whispered, "No. No, no, no." Just like that, he turned and ran a full sprint away from me, as if I had some contagious disease. Well he was the one to kiss me! Still, tears prickled my eyes. How stupid could I have gotten? Never build up hopes for a player. The way he shoved me against the tree had my heart melting. His eyes had stared into mine with passion for no more than two seconds. Those things shouldn't have mattered, but they did. He knew every trick, every single trick that could have a guy getting into my panties. The sad thing was, I'd still let him.

"Blake, what did you _do_?" Theo's voice snapped me back into reality. I hadn't realized how dark it had gotten. I groaned and pushed myself from the tree. Grabbing my pack, I walked to where Theo had screamed my name. He looked somewhat disturbed. Did he know about the life-changing kiss I shared with his best friend? I decided against that when he held papers scrunched together in his hand. "These are ankle deep in our living room, Blake."

"Calm down," I shook my head and snatched a paper from his hand. I began reading it when I opened the door and stacks of paper fell on my feet. Then I read it.

At that moment, I wished I could have substituted the many times I slept with people for one of Paul's peck. Things would have turned out much better than they did when I opened that door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I want to thank everyone who's been reviewing. This is all so much fun to write. Anyways, I had my computer out of my reach for a while so I'm a couple days behind on writing. With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I am spending it with my family but because they drive me insane, with muchos reviews, I can sneak some time to catch up! **

***Cough Cough* See my Spanish in there? Yes, I am learning to speak another language! Es muy dic ícil. No? Okay, I'll leave now. Just remember to update!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I think we all know who does or we wouldn't be reading it. Stephenie Meyer, duh!**

* * *

><p><strong>Third Person POV<strong>

"_Fuck," _thought Paul. His paws pounded on the ground hitting as hard as they could. Even though he hadn't slept in nearly two days, what just happened had him on an energy rush. "_Fuck_!"

"_What are you going on about?" _Jake snorted. Currently, he was the only one on patrol. Paul sneered at his memories that swam past Jake's eyes. Most of them were overwhelming feelings. Plump, pink lips opening slightly in surprise as his crushed onto hers. The intense need to deepen the kiss. All of his past memories of sex left his mind purely because that peck was better than all of them. Paul's penis had gotten hard because he felt so insanely happy to be kissing somebody as hot and amazing as her. They only kissed and it felt like they just had sex. "_Damn."_

_"I still _don't _want a damn imprint," _Paul stuttered, "_but shit! She's too sexy to not be attracted to. And her lips…" _Paul shook his head trying to filter out the thoughts.

"_Paul, you don't need to do that. She is your imprint, why wouldn't you find her sexy?" _Jake found his way beside Paul. For a second, Paul wanted to hit him. He hated that word. Imprint. The definition should have been 'forcing love onto unwitting lovers.' It had stripped him of his manhood. All of his thoughts would be about her 'adorable personality,' and though she was a fun character, he wanted to think about other parts. "_Have you listened to yourself? All you do is think dirty things."_

_"Not anymore."_

_"If you were Jared, you would have been going on about how nice her hair smelled or the taste of her lip-gloss. If you were Sam, you'd be scolding yourself for making it seem like he only liked Emily out of guilt and lust, but you were thinking about her lips and how sexy she is. You aren't like them, Paul. If you don't want to think about it, then don't," _Jake growled. He always got annoyed when they talked sexually about their imprints, as did Quil. They both knew they'd think about theirs someday, but the thought disgusted them at the moment.

Jake could tell he didn't believe him. "_Actually," _he hissed. Not believing him pissed him off. He thought back on Paul's memory. "_You _should _be worried about what you just did to your imprint. Because you wanted to test if you were falling for her, you hurt her. Didn't you hear her whimper after your left? Any _good _imprint would be going crazy. Stop complaining about imprinting and do your damn job. We protect people and you sure as hell didn't help the girl."_

_"She cried?" _Paul gaped. His paws dug deep into the ground as he turned around in a dead sprint for her house. "_Why did she cry?"_

_"She didn't cry," _Jake said cockily. He was so prideful of when he had a good speech. Paul almost changed plans to keep the conceited smirk of his wolfish face. "_She's too stubborn to sob, but she did snivel. She's heartbroken because she thought you were disgusted."_

_"That's the opposite problem!" _Paul griped. He had been planning on just being her friend, but the entire hike he'd been staring at her more than a friend would. To test it out, he kissed her only slightly. He knew he had to make this up to her. Paul couldn't live with himself if she was upset at him.

"_It would be so much easier if you just admitted you like the girl," _Jake advised as Paul continued his run. Paul snorted. "_She is your imprint. Eventually, she will find out that you don't like that you imprinted on her."_

_"I don't like it!" _Paul screamed as loud as he could, but his true thoughts still leaked through. In all honesty, he would be completely satisfied with living his life beside her. She wasn't shy, she'd drink a few beers, she was funny, and most importantly, if she slept her way to the top, then she _had _to be a sex god.

"_You do," _Jake summed up with a grin.

_"No. I hate imprinting. If it had been _anyone _else then it would be hell. I like that it was Blake, that's it," _Paul phased out as quickly as he could after that. He couldn't take Jake's constant boasting. He knew that's what imprinting felt like. The guy never thought of it as imprinting because they genuinely liked the girl. They would have hated it if it were any other girl. Still, Paul wouldn't advise imprinting to anyone else. Maybe it worked well for everyone else, but only he would get stuck with somebody whose job was to tell his secret.

He just couldn't be mad at her.

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

"_Andromeda Raine's ex-lover and boss covers up her murder of an innocent man. Looking into her past, we have found this female sexual predator all but slept her way through her job, through college, through everything. We must wonder, is she credible to be an FBI agent?_

"_An interview with her boss uncovers more. He claims to feel violated and wants to press charges against her. He had no idea that she only wanted a promotion. As her boss, he realizes that she is possibly unfit for work in this particular field_.

"_We interviewed the last three of her so called 'boyfriends.' All of them had something to do with her job. This FBI agent slept with one repeatedly over five months while interviewing him to get information about his neighbors. He stated, "I just didn't want her to hurt me. It wasn't rape, but I didn't love it or her." The second boyfriend was her co-worker. He claimed, "I only dated for a year and a half her to keep her from fucking our boss again. I needed the promotion and she didn't. It didn't matter. She apparently cheated on me because she got the job. Look at me now, doing desk work because of that slut." The third boyfriend on her long list of lovers chided, "She was a student of mine in college, one undercover that I knew of. She and I dated for six months while she convinced me to rat out all of my colleges for drug sales. I figured if she thought I loved her, I'd be safe. But look at me now? She put her love in jail."_

_"Now, does this sound like our trustworthy cops representing America_?"

Theo's readings echoed among the house. I sifted through the papers silently in shock. There had to have been thousands of the same newscasts all in our living room. They piled up to my ankles evenly, some spots even higher.

I couldn't breathe. My hands trembled so much I had to sit down. It was horrifying. I now had two threats from the FBI on my back. I could practically sense the impending threat that would get me sued and put in jail for withholding information from my job. Theo read and reread the paper, no doubt fully embarrassed. I glanced towards my study. If only I would have mentioned any little detail I had of them. My computer!

Rushing into the study, I clicked the power button. All the came up was the blue background with green symbols, letters, and numbers all of random. Every so often, two words repeated though. "_More. Information."_

_Fuck._

I couldn't report anything else; didn't they understand that? I had nothing for them! They had to understand that this would take months, not weeks. I was given three months for every other assignment with one requirement: get it done. Dammit, I was getting this done in _my _way.

Screaming, I picked up my gorgeously new laptop and threw it at my window. Glass shattered everywhere and the laptop fell in two pieces at my feet. I, panting heavily, groaned and put my head between my knees once I squatted on the groaned against the wall. Theo thundered into a room with a skeptic look. His eyebrows scrunched together.

"Blake, are you okay?" He was amused at my tantrum. _Amused_? I just broke a laptop with enough information to buy a car and then sat down on glass, which by the way wasn't as painful as it sounded.

"What do you want Theo?" I grounded my teeth at his presence. Under normal circumstances, I could deal with his loathing of me. He hated living under my room for some reason, mainly because I wasn't his mom. I could look into my past and relate, but at that time, I didn't want to pull out problems I used to have only to add them onto my seemingly more complicated present ones. "You want my bedroom? Take it. Go do your steroid shots with Sam or whatever, just please, go away!" I hissed, more aggravation seeping throughout my words than pleasurable.

"I'm glad to see where I'm wanted," Theo slammed his hands to his thighs, creating a loud smack that echoed through my mind. The moment I saw his expression, regret washed over me like a cold wind would blow through the air.

"Wait! Theo, I-,"

"Go find some other boss to fuck, Blake," he sneered. "While you keep sleeping through life trying to make a family to replace your failed childhood, I actually have a family. Keep judging our ways and keep thinking the rumors are true, but we will be laughing when you end up in jail, rotting, getting no visitors."

Two minutes after he left, a howl sounded. Even with the reminders pushing on my shoulders like an anchor, I couldn't push myself out of my shell-shocked state to search after the lone wolf. I stared emotionlessly at the wall. Everything felt like it was crumbling on top of me. Was there ever a point in life that I felt whole and in a safe, comfortable environment? Theo's scolding words echoed through my mind harshly, causing my eyes to prickle with tears. What if he was right? I had my mother, but that was it. Could it have been that I was constantly searching for a family? Why else would it have hurt for my ex loves to tell me how they never did love me?

"Blake, what-," a voice that only worsened the situation shouted from the front door. I gauged to the count of thirty before my tears actually made their way down my cheek. Then Paul walked in. No. He didn't get to see me cry. Nobody got to see me in my weak times. I jumped to my feet and turned my back to him. "Who did this?" He sounded angry, which didn't surprise me. Maybe he was still angry he led me on, and he should have been. I was a damn catch and for him to know he could have easily gotten me just to throw it all away…well that made me mad.

"Doesn't matter," I furiously wiped my cheeks in a futile attempt to make the tearstains disappear.

"Is it true?" Paul hesitantly asked. I spun around, most likely looking like the walking dead with my mascara, and seethed towards him.

"No! I slept with a few bosses, but those three guys…we actually had a relationship. I'm not that big of a whore," I spat, stumbling against the wall. I breathed in deeply while my head rested on the wall for support. It was all so much in one day. Paul left the room for a few minutes and I expected that to help, but that only made my head spin more. When he came back he held a bottle of vodka out to me. I smiled grimly to him while he and I suck to the floor.

Three swigs later, I was drunk enough to let my guard down. It was totally out of character for me, but that was the first time that I actually felt threatened by the government. Normally I was on their side. No wonder these people feared me; I was only the beginning act to this horror and beyond. "I'm not a cry baby," I defended my heavy drinking. Paul nodded as his worried gaze scanned the room as if somebody still lurked within the walls. "I did love them, Paul. I loved them enough to sleep with them, to move in with them… I'm an idiot."

"No you aren't, Blake," Paul's warm hand rested on my shoulder. A tingling feeling radiated from his touch, one that I much enjoyed. "_They_ are idiots. If they could dismiss their love so easily, they used you. That's something much worse than sleeping with a boss." He couldn't help himself, I realized. Paul's instincts were to comfort me. It was proven true when he immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"I…I yelled at Theo," I growled and took another swig of the alcohol. "I kissed you and made you pissed. Theo thinks I hate him. My ex's never felt anything for me. What's wrong with me, Paul? Why does this happen?" Paul gulped guiltily.

"Blake, it's time to stop this," Paul's firm expression took over his facade. He took the bottle from my hands then and set it to the side. I shook my head for clarification. He was right. Getting drunk on the job was never good, especially if I was falling behind. "You have every right to cry and drink away your problems just like any girl, but you aren't you when you do this. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. This is exactly what the FBI wants you to feel. They _want _you to fail. They want to lock you up. If you are an emotional wreck, you'll accomplish nothing."

"Do you want me to fail?" I whispered. His words of encouragement were nice, but they were deadly to him. How could he want that of me?

"There's always more than two ways out of things, Blake. I'm counting on you to pick the third. It's not whether you win or fail. It's something much better. Never overlook the third option," Paul gripped my hand and squeezed. His warm hand captivated me. I could feel him giving me strength. He sounded so sure of what he said, but was it true? Was there a third option that I missed?

Most importantly, was I too late?

* * *

><p>"Would you like to do the honors?" Theo handed me the lighter hesitantly. I nodded and wrapped my jacket around me tighter. The frigid winter air was a slap in the face. It reminded me that I didn't need warm arms wrapped around my body like my old boyfriends would. I shook my head at my peculiar behavior. So what if I spent probably a good three and a half years on those jerks? So what if I meant nothing to them? That was the past. There was a reason they were gone from my life.<p>

My shaking hand gripped the lighter and lit the stick before tossing it onto the large pile of papers gathered outside our house. With the gasoline covered death threats burned away any bit of my past. Paul was correct. I needed to buck up and figure a way out of this. Little did he know; there was no third solution to this. I needed to uncover dirt at any cost. My past was a reminder that sleeping my way into this town wouldn't help. I had to get my hands dirty.

I peered over to Theo. Paul had forced him to apologize to me but what was said still reverberated in my head. Guilt tugged at my belt thinking of Theo's true feelings towards me, but I shoved it aside. I did enough for the kid. Nobody knew it, but I did more than any foster parent would normally offer. There was something that struck deep within me when it came to Theo. I felt so protective of him. That's exactly why I made him a normal child in the books, but I could do no more. What Theo didn't know actually hurt him. Hopefully, he was strong enough to push through.

"Don't beat yourself up, Blake," Paul's hot breath whispered down my neck. My back instantly arched as my eyes closed, attempting to regain any dignity he didn't just steal from me. "You haven't ended your chances with Theo."

"Words of encouragement from my least favorite person," I rolled my eyes as the night lit up. Ash rained down on us. Seth, Brady, and Collin had all helped gather the horrifying papers from my living room into a pile earlier.

"Hmph."

"What?" I asked skeptically with a frown.

"It's just, I've always liked them feisty," Paul shrugged as he took a step closer. If I wouldn't have stumbled into the fire, I would have moved away. Hell, whom did I kid? Even his strong, muscled arms couldn't force me away. His body was too fascinating. I found my eyes lapping up every inch of his closely pressed muscles, my nose inhaling involuntarily to burn his woodsy scent into my memory, and my knees growing weak from the lustful look he gave me…the same look I nearly returned.

"Could you…stop?" I pled, growing angrier at my body's reaction to his utter perfection. He had pulled away dissatisfied from our middle school kiss then came down and told me he was suddenly attracted to me? No, nobody should have the rights to play with my emotions like that. "You infuriate me!"

"You aren't exactly a piece of cake either, sweetheart," Paul nudged my side. His eyes bored holes into my cheeks. I could feel my cheeks burn as the shameful blush creep up my neck to stay plastered on my face.

"Paul," Jared shouted from across the fire. He shook his head roughly, but Paul only saw that as a challenge. "She's been through enough," he hissed in a low voice that I was deaf to. I still saw their lips moving in conversation. It was hard to piece together the words and eventually, I gave up. 'Note to self, they can read lips.' I'm sure the FBI would fall over laughing at that.

"Want to know how to get on Theo's good side?" Paul's words seemed forced out of his mouth. It was tempting, but admitting that Paul had even more helpful information wasn't on my to-do list.

"Paul, I am giving Theo everything I have. A house, food – lots of it – I let him leave for hours into the night with no idea what he does. If Theo can't be happy with that, it's not my problem! I have things to worry about. My job, my credibility, my life - are all on the line. I am _not _apologizing if his teenage testosterone gets in the way of living comfortably," I growled, my teeth grinding so hard I was scared they'd crack. Paul stepped back in surprise at the venom leaking through my words. I was just about fed up with his antics. He was _exactly _like the three idiots who never loved me. I didn't want to be played. I wanted my life back where I didn't get death threats weekly from the very company I worked for. It was him and his mutts that stood in the way of it.

Everyone around us stood stoically. In this tiny town, they had all gathered on my yard to see the large bonfire. Now we put on an utterly interesting scene. My hands shook in rage. In Boston, everyone had their own lives. It was a natural occurrence for people to yell. What was worse was the way Theo smirked, like he found my speech amusing. I loved the kid, but he was the most ungrateful brat I had ever met.

Through Paul's shaking rage, he laughed, almost to himself, as if thinking himself an idiot for talking to me. "You see?" He shouted loudly. Everyone's attention turned to the bellowing Paul Lahote who I began to loathe at that moment. My hands clenched hard enough that my nails drew blood. It was a numb pain. "This is what Detective Blake Raine really is like. Think about this child hating slut," he spat, "before she pushes her way into your house trying to disrupt our town again."

Every fractal left of my heart went up in flames. Everyone else disappeared. All I could see, all I could think was Paul Lahote, standing there, ruining the hard work I had put into building a nice reputation in the town. He was my friend, I had thought, I trusted him. He saw me in weak times and he picked me up, yet there he was, throwing me down so hard it would take all my will power to pick myself up. But dammit, I wasn't letting the vile, attractive, putrid man-whore ruin everything! What little admiration I had left for the boy who got under my skin since day one shattered. He'd pay for it that was for sure. No matter how painful it was to my mental state, he'd be the first person I brought down.

"You have no idea what you started," I seethed, breathing heavily to control myself. No matter how much I wanted to hit him, I didn't. I was the bigger person who'd win. "Get off my property."

"Gladly," Paul sneered. When he turned, he slammed his foot into a mud puddle. A splattering sound came my way and I blinked when I found that he covered me in goopy, wet dirt. I let out a frustrated scream as I marched inside. If he wasn't gone by the time I reached my door, I could call the cops and convince them to lock him up for a night. Surely Charlie would do me that favor. By the time I looked over my shoulder, the entire yard was nearly cleared out. People muttered gossip to one another. One thing was certain; any interviews were no longer valid. Paul didn't understand what he just did, though.

I only held information on him because I had the slightest interest of the man. Now? Every dirty secret I knew about Paul was going to be told. It worked out well for me. Director could think his threat worked. Didn't it though? Just as Paul said, weren't we doing exactly what they wanted? Either way, it happened.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I love the reviews! Love them. Now I'm happy to answer any questions as long as they aren't ones purposefully left ****answered in the plot. Also, for the Paul's POV it is coming up soon. I've done third person multiple times, kind of sitting in as his POV, but there is one instance that has his POV in it. Question, which name do you like more? Joy or Johanna? Review or PM me! Follow and favorite as well. I'd like to see FOUR reviews. If it is less than four reviews, I'm cutting the update down to a day later. FOUR!**

* * *

><p><strong>BTW: There seemed to be some glitch and the story name changed to 'Whore' for a while. I'm sorry if it confused anyone or if you were following and it deleted it or anything. But the name is 'Swaying of Interest' nothing else.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Nothing has changed from the last chapter, though in the plot it did. I suppose I do own the plot…and Theo…and Blake, but it's easier giving the main credits to Stephenie Meyer, because she gave me the hot, HOT boys to write it.**

"Don't you feel bad?" Theo asked as he and Paul hit tennis balls into the ocean. Paul faked a cocky grin.

"She's a slut who needs to realize things don't always come easy," he disagreed to the words he said but had to say them. It was a constant battle. Paul knew why she did the things she did and he would have done the same in her position, but she also got under his skin for all the reasons he hated admitting. Instead, he used the reasons everyone else knew of.

"I suppose," Theo sighed and shut his mouth. Paul grunted. He knew the kid well enough to know when he wanted something said that he'd say it sooner or later. Only two balls more, he said, "Maybe she was raped when she was little and hasn't seen sex as a big deal since then." Paul looked to Theo with horror. That kid had gruesome thoughts.

"Don't say that," Paul elbowed him.

"It's a very real chance," Theo continued as if Paul didn't say anything. He never remembered his sister, but he was told countless times why she was kicked out of their original boarding school. "My sister beat up this teacher when she was only eight because he felt her up after class. I mean, she wasn't raped, but that was damn close."

"Yes, but your sister's probably crazy or on crack," Paul smirked. The two had quite irrational hypothesizes of his sister. "What was her name?"

"Hell if I know. We both have Greek names," Theo hit the ball even harder than usual. Whenever he talked of his sister, he got moody. Most of the time, he tried to say he hated her because if he could have stayed in the boarding school his life would have been ten times better. Paul knew he actually just wished she were with him. Theo was jealous of even Embry, who was only welcome in his home if he wanted yelled at, all because they at least had somebody blood related who cared for them. The pack seriously helped his sour mood of that subject, but he still wished for a close family relation.

"Damn Blake. Maybe it would be better for her to go to jail. Everyone else's lives would be easier," Paul snorted. He had just admitted of his crush on the girl and then Blake went and threw him over the top.

"But you imprinted on her," Theo shook his head and regretted saying that. Though it was true, he knew Paul didn't like it. Theo never liked it. He always felt like Paul was poking around the place for her and though he loved Paul, he really wanted to see what Blake was like when she wasn't constantly defending herself from his teasing comments.

"I know," Paul sighed and if Theo didn't know it was Paul, he could have sworn it was in a wistful way. Paul cleared his throat. "You don't sound mad about her speech earlier."

"In a way," Theo treaded lightly. "I feel a bit guilty at the same time. Her points were all valid – I take a lot from her for free – but she also signed up for this. She shouldn't be mad at me for not trusting the government-loving girl."

Paul glanced wearily at Theo. The two boys had their lives turned upside down because of the girl yet neither could honestly admit she didn't have some positive effects. Silence enveloped them for the longest time. Theo was very reluctant to ask his question, but he finally did.

"Do you think she cares for me as much as she does you?"

It came out in a whisper, barely audible. Theo had been questioning this since he realized she knew what he was going through. In the beginning, that only made him madder. She should have known that he wouldn't be open about wanting a mother. She should have known to not let him walk away from her comforting arms. But then he saw her in a new light when he realized how much was on her plate. He realized that, though she went through similar situations, he didn't know the exact details. Since then, he admired her because she somehow turned out okay after all those foster years. He wanted her to like him. It was the same way of when he met Paul. He had wanted so badly for him to take him under his wing even though he never admitted it. He admired both of them more than anyone knew.

"Who are we kidding, Theo? She doesn't care for either of us," Paul's voice sounded less angry and more depressed. For the first time he could remember, Theo seemed hesitant to believe Paul's words. Paul growled and kicked the bucket of tennis ball hard enough to send them crashing into the deep dark waters.

Footsteps echoed behind them. Paul caught the girl's scent immediately and felt compelled to dive in with the rest of the balls, to do anything than be in her sour and jealous presence. Nevertheless, Leah trudged to their sides with an annoyed look.

"Could you stop feeling sorry for yourselves?" she slapped them on the backs. Theo always did his best to stick to Paul's advice and steer clear of this emotional she-wolf. "Blake is sitting on her porch chugging a bottle of whiskey like her life depended on it while blubbering to her mom, who's already on her way here."

"And?"

"And," Leah rolled her eyes. Stupid boys never understood hints. "No girl ever drinks tequila without a reason. If I can remember correctly, and I can, she drinks vodka regularly so if she is drinking something different, she must have ran out of vodka first and that tequila is saved for special circumstances."

"Why were you watching her?"

"You try talking about your entire life story to a girl your age and not be curious that she wasn't surprised when she heard what he did," Leah snorted defensively but Theo grew a sly grin.

"You like her, don't you?" he nudged her slightly. Paul watched distantly while the two bantered. "You want her to be your friend!" He let out a hearty laugh at that. Theo enjoyed teasing her.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Could you shut up for a second?" Paul screamed. When the two continued to pester one another, he made a decision. All within two seconds, Leah and Theo tumbled their way into the dark ocean screaming curses and threats back up to Paul. He didn't care, he only rejoiced in seeing Blake's spy being punished. He contested traveling over just to see if she was correct but thought better of it.

He was _not_ concerned for Blake's wellbeing. He did _not_ grow curious as to what she could let slip free in her drunken state. And he most certainly did **not** feel guilty and debated on visiting her to apologize. No, he didn't run any fantasies through his mind where she accepted his groveling before running in his arms to kiss him with her plump, inviting, dirty lips.

Then he jumped through the air over the cliff to release some steam and clear his mind in the refreshing water beside his revenge-seeking friends.

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

Mom arrived two days after it all. It was odd how fast you could travel across country when you desperate daughter needed you. "Now don't you worry," she had said when I hugged her tightly. "You are standing in front of _the best _lawyer in this side of the coast, and that's only because Bernie," – her very dead husband-, "is buried six feet under in Boston."

That was early this morning when I fought of a hangover. At three in the afternoon, Mom and I sat at the table sipping our coffee. She was planning how to get me out of this mess. "I told you being a cop is messy business. Do you know how many innocent cops we lock up every year? You are damn lucky I'm on your side."

She never approved in my choice of line of work. I couldn't blame her. It didn't pay nearly as much as being a lawyer, but this was what I wanted. Besides, I grew up with only the clothes on my back as an extravagance. Mom had higher standards in her luxuries, but not me. Considering the huge trust fund sitting in the bank under my name, I had plenty of time before I required worrying about bankruptcy.

The front door closed loudly. Theo strut into the room surprised to find Mom there. "Hello Catherine," he muttered. Catherine. I shuddered. It was odd hearing somebody call her by her first name. The last time that happened, I walked in on her and her current boyfriend making out. It wasn't that she was a slut – hell I worried she had slept with less people than me – but she and her boyfriend were very open about things.

"Theo, sweetie, why don't you join us? I haven't even begun to get to know you," Catherine welcomed. I stared guiltily at Theo. I regretted that he heard what I said both at the bonfire and when I was disheveled over the papers.

He looked wearily between the two of us before sighing. Yanking the chair back, he took a seat closer to Mom, a virtual stranger to him, than me. Still, at least he sat down. Mom could sense the tension in the air and smiled warmly. She somehow got me to open up to her, though it definitely helped knowing she wanted to adopt me after only a week. I loved Theo a lot, but somehow he didn't feel like my son. He and I were too close in age. It was different, but I felt more protective of him than an adoptive mother ever could.

"Theo," Mom grinned. "What do you do for fun?" He answered her question by staring rudely; boring his eyes into hers as if saying 'Did you really ask that?' I felt like scolding his callous behavior but couldn't bring myself to unintentionally banish him again. "Good, I don't like that question either. Do you have any special friends? You a quite the dashing young man."

"Nope," Theo blushed at the compliment. Mom and I were both trained to pick up on any lies. I knew the telltale signs of a liar, and Theo showed them. He averted his eyes to the left, his answered quickly, and he blushed. Though the latter wasn't always a sign, it was when it came to this topic.

"What's her name?" Mom grinned like a kindergartener. Theo looked surprised and shook his head gruffly. Awe, he was embarrassed. "She's quiet, am I right? Maybe she's a bit younger than you. And maybe she's not yours just yet, but you plan on making it that way soon."

"What are you going on about?" he once again looked to the left of her head. I began smiling. That was the lawyer in her. She had ways that insisted on people answering her.

"How old are you now?"

"Fifteen." I answered at the same time as Theo.

"Sixteen," he snorted at my little knowledge. "My birthday was a the other day, or that's the day that we celebrate it."

"Let me guess, through all of your travels, they lost your original birth date and just randomly gave you one?" I peered questionably at him. My bother, when he was barely over the age of a few weeks had the same thing happen to him. Again, I tried telling people the date, but even I couldn't remember it exactly and nobody believed me either. Almost all of his papers were destroyed in a fire. They redid the one they could because it was all on them, but his original name, parents, and city and state of birth was all lost, among other things. I told them what I could but they didn't really trust an eight year old.

"Something like that. I don't look like my age so I randomly picked a week in a month to celebrate it," Theo shrugged evasively. He could easily pass for eighteen, maybe even older, so I couldn't really say he did the wrong thing.

"Do you enjoy school?" Mom asked, glaring at me. I got her message easily. There was a method we used to get information we suspected but needed confirmed in the police department. I called it the 'Quick Answer' system. Maybe it wasn't official, but Elle Woods used it on Legally Blonde and I found that very valid, okay? It worked, trust me.

"Sure," he sighed. Whenever he goes, I thought.

"Your friends always help you out?"

"Yes."

"Paul and you spend a lot of time together, right?" I asked the first thing I was sure he'd say yes to.

"Yes," he was getting annoyed of us by now. That's exactly what I wanted.

"Did you eat something today?" Now he looked freaked out. I shot Mom crazy looks.

"Yes," he said with barely any thought to the weird question. That was kind of his test to see if he was ready for the final question.

"Do you like food?" I asked one more distraction question.

"Yes." It was actually amazing we kept him answering this long. Half the time, the person under question walked away. I supposed Theo was tired.

"Your crush has black hair, right?" I asked, stifling a squeal.

"Yes," Theo said. I immediately began giggling and fist bumped my mom. Then he realized what just happened. "Wait – ugh."

"What's her name, that's all I'm asking," I begged, tugging on his arm. It was nice to have somebody else's life to focus on instead of mine for once. He stared daggers at the two of us so long I worried he wouldn't answer.

"Joy Pratt," Theo ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"Tell me about her," Mom pled. I bit my lip. It was very unlikely he'd go into much detail. Then his eyes slid over to me and I could all but see the light bulb flick on above his head.

"You can meet her."

"What?" we both gasped incredulously in excitement. I peered suspiciously at him. His smile was too wide – it was actually visible. That almost never happened unless he got something out of the situation.

"On one condition," he finally exhaled. I let out a groan. I knew it. That boy was cunning.

"Just like any Fallon," my mother smiled whole-heartedly in pride. "What is it, oh mischievous one?

"When Paul decides to apologize, you have to accept it, Blake," he looked pointedly at me. My grip on the coffee cup tightened. I hated even hearing his name. That vile bastard could have cost me my job. Did he seriously expect me to up and forgive him for making a fool out of me to the entire town? I never felt more alone than I did last night.

"Paul? Was he the one who announced that to the town?" Mom inquired. I nodded grimly. Every time I heard his name, it hurt. It wasn't that I really missed him. His name caused memories of two nights ago when he utterly betrayed me to flood my mind. I trusted him with so much more than I ever trusted anyone – and was prepared to console in him more – and he went and badmouthed me to the entire town. Betrayed took on a new meaning that night. I had been betrayed many times before; by my bosses, my ex's, my friends, my foster parents, but being betrayed by Paul hurt more than I could even think possible. It baffled me that I was able to feel so hurt by that little of a thing.

"Theo, it's not that easy," I pushed my long hair out of my face. "You don't unde-,"

"I understand, Blake. I understand it hurts. I understand you trusted him…and you might think you'll never be able to trust him again, but I know Paul. I know him more than you. Deep down, can't you feel that he wouldn't do that if you would just open up to him? Blake, he did that for me. Nobody understands why you pay for me instead of the government. He is just trying to make sure I'm in good hands. Don't blame him. You and him are alike in one way; you both have the worst temper I've ever seen," Theo looked almost pained to say all of that. I stared expressionless at him. What he said surprised me more than I showed.

Why was he saying this? It was never said, but I kind of assumed he didn't exactly like Paul hanging out so exclusively with me. I never thought he'd try to…push us together? For the fist time ever, I saw what Theo was like without his gruff exterior. What was it with these Quileute boys hiding their emotions in? First, Paul was like that and now him?

"Blake, baby, you simply must agree. I see no harm in forgiving people," Mom nudged me knowingly. Great, now I was double-teamed. I groaned.

Could I do it? Could I really forgive Paul for that? When I thought on it, I found that Theo was right. Maybe Paul was angry with me, but his loud outburst had nothing to do with that. He was only ensuring Theo was with somebody that cared. Now I grew annoyed. I thought I convinced them that I truly did care for him? Theo's shouts echoed in my mind. _'I'm glad to see where I'm wanted.' _Convincing them of my love for him was growing tiresome.

"No," I gritted my teeth.

"Why?" I opened my mouth to respond but found no words formed. I couldn't find a worthy answer to that.

"Fine," I ground my teeth together. "But he has to come to me." Theo sighed and nodded. "And I want to see this little girlfriend of yours soon. Does Friday sound good? I can cook."

"Now that you give me an excuse…" Theo shrugged. I couldn't help but see the gleam in his eyes. I believed he was a sophomore, prime time to find a love of your life.

"I have work to do. Mom, we can talk tomorrow about the rest," I stood from the table, washed my cup and began to walk away. Just before I was out of earshot, I heard my mother's giddy words.

"Don't be afraid to connect with her," Mom hissed. "I have a damn good feeling you'll be staying here for a while." I wanted to go back and contradict her, tell her not to make any promises. No matter how much I loved this town – and I really did love it – if I got arrested, there was no chance he wouldn't be sent away from here. Then if I finished my job, it was a ninety percent chance I'd have to move back to Boston, the only other chance would be I'd get sent on a mission directly after and somewhere far away. The problem was that if I decided to keep him, he'd be bounced around from mission to mission, always moving. I didn't want that, not for him. He deserved better. Until the day he asked me to keep him knowing of the constant moving, I wouldn't adopt him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well look who kept to her word. Gasp. I'd love love love for FOUR reviews. These reviews really give me fuel for it. It gives me passion to know that other people enjoy the writing as well or to know what to do better. So I'm requesting FOUR reviews** or **THREE**** reviews and a FAVORITE! It's up to you all when I update next!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. If you have any questions, please look at the last chapters, though I suspect you probably already read them. Stephenie Meyer owns this entire world so…yeah, tear - tear.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

For most of the week, Mom dragged Theo and I everywhere doing 'family' things. Theo obviously hated it and I worried he began to hate her. Then came the day that he missed a family intervention. "Where is that boy?" Mom growled as she furiously wrote slips down to play charades. I couldn't blame her. I loved my mom and understood why she wanted so badly to play these family games. Throughout her marriage, she never was able to have a child; there was something wrong with her fallopian tubes and she couldn't carry. It didn't matter because her husband, Bernie, never wanted a kid. After he passed at a young age, she adopted me. With both of us missing people in our lives, we never were able to play the family games meant for three or four people. Now she tried to make up for it. I loved that woman.

"Mom, he does this a lot," I chuckled slightly at her distraught expression. I checked my watch again. He almost had a cycle. That switched every week. This week, he always left late into the night and arrived late to school every day. I got calls and said my work keeps leaving me off late and I couldn't get him to school. Either way, he was grateful to my lying.

When he finally arrived, I was horror-struck to find him not alone. Two shirtless men strutted our way. I yelped and closed the curtain. "Mom, I have to get this weekly update in. I promise I'll come out when I can," I said. She dashed after me screaming, but I shut the door in time.

"You did this to your poor, old mother!" she said in a dramatic tone that caused me to laugh too much. Glancing outside, the moon was high in the sky and full so I pushed the curtains aside and opened a window. Then I type. Oh did I type. My hatred toward Paul Lahote didn't lessen over the week. Theo may have been right, but any man willing to do that instead of, of I don't know, talking privately deserved to get some consequences.

In the middle of my report, I felt eyes watching me, but when I turned around nothing was there but the moon. I shook my head. Paranoia wasn't a good sign. Every word I type held a bottle of guilt, but I refused to hide any information for a guy who didn't hide any of me. Guiltiness always caused people to be paranoid, I reminded myself. I just couldn't shrug the feeling off.

This time, I made sure there was sufficient enough information. When I was satisfied, I cracked my knuckles, leaned back, and licked the envelope.

_Dear Director, I shouldn't address you personally due to the lawsuit you have on me, but I figured you and everyone in Boston need to hear this._

_Paul Lahote is the hotheaded, man-whore of the town. I've begun to get close to him and I do have to say the flyers that were somehow thrown everywhere in my living room helped put up a defenseless façade. I have no idea where they came from, but I'm glad I know every charge against me. Either way, Paul thinks I am weak. Word in their herd travels fast. It shouldn't be long before they under estimate me, and after that I can slide in easily unnoticed._

_Paul has created a disturbance for me. He has proclaimed to the town negative comments. I can handle this do not fret, but he is definitely my number one suspect of disturbance if there is any. Furthermore, even though we assumed Sam is the leader, I believe Paul is, therefore our attacks should focus more on him._

_I just thought you should know that I obtained samples of their DNA. I got hair samples of the two women who constantly hang around them, Kim and Emily, but they came back normal so that is out. I strongly believe steroids are a possibility._

_This week, I have been a bit busy with other distractions that you may know of, but I need to know when I can get the authorization to interview the Cullen family._

_Yours truly, Agent Andromeda Raine. _

_P.S. My lawyer has informed me that I can only make monthly updates from now on unless a huge discovery is found. I am _so_ sorry to hear that._

It seemed well enough, though it would infuriate the director. Legally he still couldn't do a thing. I was only following the law. He would also be aggravated that it was in a letter a couple days late, but I rolled my eyes to that. The only reason I used the old typewriter was because I broke my laptop when they sent those damn letters.

A rustle outside my window had me jumping out of my skin. I swear that was real. Curiosity got the best of me and I leaned out the window. Nothing was there except the grass and trees. I bit my lip. It wasn't paranoia, I swore. Glancing over my shoulder, I shrugged and hopped out the window.

"Hello?" I scowled. Stupid me left the window open. I wrote a confidential letter. If somebody somehow saw… I shook my head and walked the rest of the ways to our mailbox, put the letter in and hopped through my window only to meet eyes with the one person I had hoped to avoid.

Seeing his face brought relief through me. All week, I had only gotten glimpses when he dropped off Theo from wherever they went. My guts had slowly twisted to a knot and seeing him up close and personal released the knot. Thousands of pounds of pressure escaped through my body in a soothing yet scaring way. "I knew I smelled a rat," I forced through my lips even though all I wanted to do was throw my arms around his body. There was some force shoving me forward and it pounded against my head, screaming at me. I pushed back but eventually gave in to the easy request and stepped closer a bit. "What, no protestors? Where's the eviction notice, Paul?"

He didn't look particularly guilty, but he didn't look happy…or angry with me. Now it didn't add up. "What do you want?"

"Blake," Paul bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. I noticed that he hadn't shaved in a while and a little bit of scuff ran along the lower part of his jaw. His eyes were sunken in with rims under them. It looked like he had lost his mind for a little over a week. He cleared his throat and I looked back to his eyes, blushing when I realized he caught me checking him out. "I want to talk to you."

"I want to do something far worse than that," I ground my hands together sadistically. He shot me a crazy look, asking if I was serious. I only cracked my knuckled again. He laughed, laughed at me. What? I was told my fierce expression was scary.

"You're cute when you scrunch your nose together," Paul says with exhaustion straining from his voice. Instantly, I raised my hand and smacked him across the face, leaving a faint red mark that began to fade almost as fast as it got there. He looked shocked I could do something so rash. "I suppose I deserved that." I wasn't cute. People thought I was sexy or hot, but nobody called me cute before and he didn't get to do that when I was mad with him. I just couldn't will myself to yell at his tired expression. He leant against the wall with his eyes barely opening. "Can we take a walk outside?" I risked a glance outward. It was chilly but not snowing or raining. In this rare event, I found it dumb of me not to have taken a walk before. Now, I supposed, I couldn't say no and miss my chance for a walk under the clear skies.

I nodded hesitantly and I swore that one movement caused a rush of energy to go through Paul because the next thing I knew, he pulled me towards the window. I groaned. What was wrong with using the door? If there was anyone watching, they definitely thought I turned crazy now and only used windows…or that we were robbers. That wouldn't be fun.

The air kept getting colder the further we walked but I didn't feel compelled to go inside. I noticed the closer I walked next to Paul, the warmer I got. Finally, we managed to reach the beach in silence and sat together in the sand. It felt nice under my feet, much better than my desk chair did. So far, the walk was worth it. I bit my lip and peeked at Paul. He had already begun looking at me. I blushed and turned my head away. The tension grew until he finally broke it, though the comment wasn't appreciated.

"Did you know you, under the moonlight, your lips look really pink?" Paul's fingers tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I bit my lip and looked further away. He was doing it again. Dammit. A shot of vivacity went through me starting from low in my stomach. It felt so good, so, so good, but it also bothered me. From a little, tiny touch I got that.

"Please…don't do that," I finally swung my head back around to meet him. In these small moments, I felt like a teenager again, caught up in my personal life, believing it was all that mattered. I hated that; it was a weakness that I couldn't afford. And yet, there I was, thinking only of my feelings.

"Why?" Paul whispered softly. Whoever knew Paul could say something so delicately?

"You can't just toy with me, Paul," I hissed, looking out to the ocean. My eyes stung, but there was no way in _hell_ that he'd see me cry, not over something as petty as him. "You can't go around one second kissing me then humiliating me in front of the entire town the next."

Peeping to his face, I found he had as much guilt as one person could have expressed. It tore me from the inside and I almost wanted to take back what I said, but I didn't. It was true. "Blake, I'm sorry." I looked over expecting more, but he seemed finished.

_Was that it?_

Again, I got caught up in my teenage dreams thinking he'd be a gentleman and apologize for every single thing he did wrong. Alas, he was a man in the modern world, and men of the modern world weren't as perceptive as women wished they were. I sighed and met his eyes sadly.

Opening my mouth to speak, he realized I wasn't pleased. It was clear he didn't want to say these next words but felt they were absolutely necessary. "You have no idea how much I regretted having to look at your face at the bonfire. I shouldn't have spoken to you that way. I…I get mad sometimes, Blake. When I get mad, there's nearly nothing that can calm me down. I worry about Theo more than anything in the world and I – I suppose I am a little protective of him. If there is any thing I can do to get you to forgive me, I promise you I'll do it." His eyes clenched mine tightly and I couldn't look away. Paul normally was a ball of anger and masculinity, something I was used to seeing on his face. But this? This true, deep pain he held over himself was something that ripped me inside.

At the bonfire, I felt my heart rip in thousands of fragments, but seeing Paul's expression, I knew his heart was in trillions of tiny, minuscule pieces. It would take a miracle to cure us both, but was the miracle right in between us?

"Paul," I sighed, leaning closer. _Slut, _he had called me. I clenched my eyes tightly together before forming a sentence. "I thought…I thought you were different. I didn't think you'd actually call me a – a s…" I couldn't finish the word.

"You are far from a slut," he promised. I looked at my hands he had grabbed them earnestly. His warm hands captivated mine in such an easy gesture. It felt nice to feel his touch. "I swear if I could take it back I would."

I met his eyes in confusion. Still I was reluctant. "I forgive you for the bonfire," I forced out of my mouth. Maybe I didn't fully, but I was on the road to recovery. I could move on from that. He was my foster child's role model and the only one here that seemed to see me for more than the bad guy. He infuriated me, but I also found life utterly dull without his presence. "I forgive you for that…"

"Why does it sound like I'm still in the doghouse then?" Paul nudged my side. His touch caused me to shiver. He was _so _warm. Heat poured off him. It would be so easy to just accidentally fall into his inviting, muscled side. "What else did I do? I can't make it up to you if I don't know what's bothering you."

Straightforward. I gulped before forcing my eyes to his. He towered over me. The moon was hiding behind his head in the sky and it was truly a beautiful sight. The stars surrounded his glorious head. None compared to the caramel sparkled in his deep, brown eyes. His missing smile would have outshone even the full moon.

Then I blushed. There was no escaping my self-consciousness. "You. You're my problem," I muttered with aggravation. "You kissed me and pulled away before I could even kiss back. If you stormed off because I sucked at kissing, that's unfair, Paul. I didn't get the chance-," His loud, earth-shaking laughter stopped me mid sentence. I scowled. His eyes alight, he couldn't stop. The smile he held made me almost want to smile, but I didn't. I was being serious and he turned it into a joke. Self-doubt fled through me ten times worse than they did in the woods that afternoon. "Paul!" I shouted in a pouting way. I hated pouting because I seemed pathetic, but it was either pout or cry, and as established before, I wasn't going to cry, especially over some boy with gorgeous eyes.

"You think I left…" he said between groups of uncontrollable laughter, "because you are a bad kisser?" I nodded in confusion. What the hell was so funny? I scrunched my nose in irritation. Noticing my scowl, he finally cut off his chuckling. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Fuck." Then he did something peculiar that I totally should have expected.

He kissed me.

This wasn't like our last kiss. Compared to our last kiss, this seemed like he was trying to rape me by the force of it. Lucky for him, I _hated _gentle kissers.

He had basically fallen on top of me, shoving me down onto the beach. His lips pressed against mine with so much force I knew they would be puffy by tomorrow. They controlled mine, moving in a direction that I followed. He pinned my hands over my head with one of his while his other held him up. It was fast as we got a feel for the other's lips, utterly memorizing every curve, all the texture of it. I didn't think it could get any hotter.

Then it did. We couldn't breathe and neither of us wanted to break apart, but we did. His eyes licked mine up, glancing between them and my lips. I wanted so desperately to feel the lightning strikes of lust shoot from within my body again by the touch of his mouth. Arching my back against his restraints, I almost made a moaning sound. No, I _did_ make a moaning sound.

That's when Paul's eyes sparked up again and he dove back to me. His lips pressed harder and harder into mine. Finally, my wrists were set free, but that wasn't as good as I thought considering his hand went to my back, pulling my body flush against his. At this contact, my lips parted in a sigh and he saw that as a sign to enter. His tongue first licked my lips playfully and then ventured in my mouth more.

When we came back in for another kiss, I met his tongue with mine, growing a devilish smirk. I never thought I'd feel so alive just by the feeling of his tongue against my own, but I did. A whimper slipped up my throat, causing Paul to nearly go into a frenzy. Just as my hands found their way under his shirt, a freezing cold sensation washed over my legs and I shrieked. Paul too was startled and fell to the side of me.

We looked down to see the water of the waves lapping away, growing and coming back again. Slowly, we scooted back on the beach until the sand grew dry again. Paul and I lied side-by-side panting as if we ran a mile.

_Making out with Paul probably was more a workout._

What did I just do? I thought I hated Paul. I thought he got under my skin. What happened to his aggravating presence? I groaned and pushed myself to a sitting position.

"I hope that answered your question," Paul grinned wickedly from my side. I couldn't shake the feeling of his body pressed to mine. It felt so whole. I felt so safe in his arm. As I scowled at him, it was hard to focus on his eyes instead of his lips. "What's wrong, Princess?"

"We shouldn't have done that," I brushed sand out of my hair and stood.

"What's the big deal? I personally love kissing you. Why does it matter?" Paul followed me as we walked back towards the house.

"It matters," I emphasized, "because you are under investigation. It's ethically wrong." Plus I've already done nearly the same thing before and it was turning out in a lawsuit.

"Firstly," Paul snorted as he threw an arm around my shivering shoulder. I threw it off but he put it there again. Well…I was cold. And every touch from Paul felt like I was being dipping in burning water that left my skin clean and rejuvenated. "I wouldn't file a court order on you for having sex, let alone kissing-,"

I didn't let him finished, "Are you trying to tell me that back there on the beach, we weren't going to have sex?" I found that so hard to believe. He was the player and I was the whore. Why wouldn't we have sex, right?

"No, I had no intention of going past that. Actually, I was about to stop your hand," Paul grinned like an idiot. I blushed. Well I had _full_ intentions of doing so. "Secondly, how am I unethical? Theo is under investigation and he's your son!" His hands started to shake. I didn't want him to get mad. Shortly after his hands began to shake, eventually he'd leave the room for a while. After what just happened, it would hurt to be more than three feet away. I didn't want to think about a whole house between us.

Then his words sunk in. Normally, I was an amazing liar, but I just couldn't lie to Paul, not after finally realizing my feelings for him. Instead, I didn't say a thing and just looked to the ground, not meeting his gaze. His breath stopped short. "He _is_ under investigation, right?" Finally, I looked deep into his eyes, willing for him to understand. I wasn't weak. I wasn't on their side. I just 'forgot' to mention something. Then I shook my head. "Blake…how?"

I bit my lip and tried to look away again, but his eyes held mine with a silent plea. Running a hand through my curly, long hair, I got nervous. How did he figure this out? It wasn't good, not at all. "Please."

"Don't say anything," I sighed and stumbled slightly. "Nobody had a file on him. I didn't know him and neither did the FBI. It was clear when I met him that he was part of your little herd-,"

"Pack," Paul laughed like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulder. I nodded.

"Pack. When I saw how alone he seemed, I decided to take your offer. I realized how much I could help him and after that…I couldn't force myself to sentence him to life in prison or – or even death or whatever crime you all get. It tore me up inside thinking of it so I just…didn't. I didn't say anything about the adoption or his entire existence," I finished under his intense, hopeful stare. Instantly, he wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed me to his chest. Despite my inability to breathe, I sighed in content. His arms around me, nothing felt better. I was at peace, at home, comfortable and excited at the same time.

Then I remembered how the whole thing slipped out and shoved him away. He let me drop from his tall hold to the sand with a grin. "Thank you, thank you Blake," Paul looked like he tried his hardest to hold back his instincts to hug me again.

"I did it for him," I blushed. "This still doesn't fix anything between us. I can't date you-,"

"Then don't," Paul shrugged. He still seemed excited. My heart deflated and my hand instantly pressed over my chest. Paul kept killing my heart. With him around, soon I'd have a heart attack in my early twenties. "Don't tell them, Blake."

"Oh," I sighed in relief. So maybe I was looking for a bit more on the beach than I let on. "Oh." A grin played on his lips again. It was as if by Theo being kept safe he had no other problems, not even himself. I never expected him to act that way. Paul Lahote was the gruff, manly, and hotheaded guy. Deep down, I supposed, he did have a soft side. It made me want to smile.

_What if he used his soft side on me? _

"You want me…to hide our love…from the FBI?" I said slowly as if I were a preschooler. I paled when I said love, but it was out in the open. I didn't love Paul Lahote, but I sure did like him. I liked him a lot more than I was comfortable with. I had been in love, or what I thought was love, three times before, but what I felt for Paul wasn't short of it, it was over the moon and back. It scared me, but I couldn't imagine trying to live on without that man…'s lips. His lips, I corrected myself.

"Precisely," Paul leaned in, pulling me toward him and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on my forehead, to which I groaned. But I liked what he was thinking.

"Well, I'm already in enough trouble as it stands, why not?" I muttered unsurely, but the grin wouldn't disappear from my face. It felt so good to grin next to Paul without having to swat his arm at his every comment.

"There you go, Princess," Paul chuckled. "Use that brain of yours."

Let me retract my previous statement. That deserved a swat.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: YES! That's what I like to see, my friends! Six reviews? It warmed my heart. I would have updated sooner, but don't forget I did still have to write it. Anyways, this felt like such a short chapter when it's actually a bit longer than normal. I'm rambling. I feel like I should have more to say, but…I don't. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask and I'll answer as best I can. **

**I'd very much appreciate six reviews before the next update! Five at the least. The more I get, the faster and better I write. Six and I can have it out within three days, but more would be two!** 6** :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: I seriously get tired of writing this, but I DON'T OWN THIS WORLD. SM owns it.**

* * *

><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

"Theo!" I yelled. "Calm down." I was prepared to tell everyone about my latest discovery, but I wasn't just yet ready to also spill about our relationship. That was my only reason for calling a meeting in Emily's living room instead of just popping up in their heads They'd think I was the soft imprint guy. In all honesty, I didn't think I was, not anymore. I had never seen once Sam kiss Emily roughly. The only time Jared ever surprised Kim with a kiss was when she was sad and that was still gentle. So far, I was the only one to kiss my imprint roughly and damn I was going to do it again. I was itching to already, but Theo did deserve to know.

"Calm down?" Embry snorted. "You just told him that Blake is basically risking her life to keep his existence a secret."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be kept a secret," Quil agreed.

"He is a part of _our_ pack," Jared defended. "We know what he wants."

"Nothing's going to happen so why does this matter. She won't find out? Right, Paul?" Sam looked pointedly at me. I ground my teeth. He thought I was weak enough to answer to her every demand. Unlike them, I wasn't a pushover. If she wanted something, I would only help if I know it was safe.

We continued arguing while Theo stood in the corner, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Now I got annoyed. Blake was risking her life to keep him a secret, something we never knew she could or would do. If we somehow were found out, there would be a way to save at least him. Our genes could keep going. We wouldn't be at a stand still. Yet he was over there as if she had puked on him.

"What's your problem?" I egged. "Isn't this what you want? She cares about your sorry ass." Theo looked up with a scowl. Everyone else quieted.

"I don't believe you," he growled. That was the first time he ever said that to me. It hurt, it really did, but I quickly turned that into anger. "How come you didn't phase to tell us? What are you hiding something?"

They murmured in agreement. I groaned. I didn't want to have to tell him this, not straight from _my _thoughts, but he gave me no choice. Grinning, I said with pride, "Sure, take a look."

All curious to my sudden giddiness, everyone followed us into the woods where we stripped ourselves of clothing and shifted. I pranced on all fours, thinking first of our conversation last night. Everyone sat idle with sloppy grins plastered on their faces. We all loved Theo, more than anyone would admit. It was good to see somebody close to him, outside of the pack, also care for him. I just hoped he could care for her back before she snapped again.

"_What's to hide, Pa-?" _Jared's teasing comment stopped short when I didn't stop the conversation. I remembered it fully, not leaving out anything.

Her lips were too provocative. It took all my willpower to not kiss her sooner. The moonlight bounced off her black hair that had natural, loosely big curls at the bottom. Her wide set head had the Quileute tan complexion that complimented her more than anyone. She had a shorter face with her adorable chin. Her lips were in the perfect spot between her nose and chin and they shone light pink. They were full and daring. Her nose was wide, barely shorter than normal but mainly wide. It fit her face. Everything complimented her. Blake's hair fell around her face and her wide large eyes weren't too close to her nose. Her lashes were long and dark and there always seemed to be a tad bit of smoky eye shadow that made her eyes, my favorite part aside from the lips, pop.

It was too much, kissing her without touching her anywhere else. I pulled her body against mine eventually, but it was like putting fire on fire because I just wanted to touch her more. She was 5'6" but it seemed short compared to my height. I loved her that way, she felt so delicate and so…mine. Maybe she didn't have much of a chest, but she easily made up for that with her ass. Boobs were overrated this day and age. I was on a high from kissing her and still couldn't get down.

I snapped out of my daydream when Theo slammed his shoulder into me. I stumbled a bit. He looked at me with disgust, which made me laugh harder. Everyone else shook their heads at my adoration of Blake and left, thinking I was silly for that being my secret. Once they were gone, Theo continued to act like he was puking just to make me feel bad.

"_You can stop, kid," _I chuckled. He trotted slowly, trying to form a complete thought.

"_You are fucking disgusting," _he finally choked out, causing me to shake with laughter. "_I know you are some 'sex god,' but did you seriously make her whimper by _kissing _her?"_

"_You don't want to bring this up," _I could feel my body's reaction to that sound immediately. It wasn't just pleasure; there was pride that filled me. I loved that sound. I'd do anything to hear that sound again.

"_Look," _Theo sighed with irritation, getting back to the main reason of phasing. "_I'm surprised that she does…care for me. I guess I like her because…if you hurt her, she won't be the only one with something broken."_ He had a hard time giving this speech to me, mainly because we were such good friends and I was ten times more intimidating than him, but I let him think I was scared. The truth was, I couldn't ever imagine hurting Blake. I couldn't live with myself. That's why I just couldn't even think of the future that was inevitable to come.

Instead, I played the happy-go-lucky in love guy, the honeymoon phase, if you will. "_I love the name Blake. It's so…strong yet beautiful, tender but…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

I breathed deeply. Even though my thoughts surrounded the guy back at LaPush with a gleam in his eye, I focused on my job. I didn't lie when I said I'd interview the Cullen family soon. Soon came all too quickly.

Before I could finish my knock, the door pulled open. I gasped. Their pictures did them barely any justice. With their pale white skin and perfect postures, they held the utmost beauty. Every one of these beautiful creatures caught my eye. It was overwhelming in the least. Their beauty was a simply too intense, sending a chill along my arms. It was the dark and mysterious beautiful that I loathed. I would have much preferred the gruff and purposeful beautiful that sat back in the living room playing video games with Theo.

With all the lack of color, I longed for somebody close to my complexion. Then something tan flickered some hope into my chest.

_Jake._

At least there was something familiar here. My eyes went to his side where a striking girl clung. I had seen here all but two weeks ago and yet, she looked so much bigger. I'd estimate around the age of nearly sixteen, though it was hard to put any physical evidence of this. The FBI unit just didn't understand the unnatural occurrences here. Normally I was sent of hard-core drug cases or terrorists groups, but these people were nothing like that. How could I ever bust them if nobody believed the stories and fantastical detail of it all?

Edward's expression turned less defensive as he stared at me. Though I didn't know why, I was glad for it. Slowly, most of the angels in front of me lessened their protective crouches, except for Rosalie who looked like she could bite my head off. I gulped and felt around for my gun, just for precaution.

"I need to go," Jake suddenly said. I turned to him before he could escape.

"Please stay," I said it in a police voice, but he could see the fear in my eyes. Though I didn't understand Paul's 'pack,' I still trusted them ten times more than these animals. They radiated 'protectors' while these animals gave off the impression of more dangerous than I alone could imagine. He glanced to the woods until he nodded and went back to Renesmee's side. "I'm Agent Andromeda, but call me Blake," I began.

"Blake, we are so happy to finally meet you," Esme caused my heart to jump when she hugged me. Her body felt like stone and suddenly, my luxury of protection from my gun didn't secure me as much any more. The cold of her body radiated deep into my soul. Though both she and Carlisle were caring people, I instantly felt a natural hate towards their bodies. Still, I pushed it down.

"We have heard so much about you," Renesmee giggled. I smiled through my teeth. This felt like a family gathering. I felt like the awkward girlfriend being introduced to this loving family for the first time. Families never loved me. I wasn't used to all the care and trust a family had for so many people. I was used to only trusting my mom and soon Theo. Paul was still working his way back.

"That's cute," I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a tape recorder. I carefully and openly set it on the coffee table. "It's best to do this one at a time. May I have Renesmee please?"

"No. She can go last," Bella immediately spoke. I leveled my gaze to hers. That was a challenge to me. Normally, people were intimidated enough to listen to what I said. It made sense for them not to be, but I didn't like being pushed around.

"Why is that, Bella? Have something to hide?" I smiled sweetly at her anyways. She gave me a death stare but I didn't back down. I noticed Jake talking swiftly on his phone. "Jacob." He looked and reluctantly hung up. "Bella, why don't you go then?"

I had to admit; they had their story down pat. Everyone had coincided stories as to their past and their reunion. I noticed they ate healthily. Renesmee chowed down on fruits while Rosalie and Alice cooked a casserole in the oven. I was told of the epic Bella-Edward love drama from Alice. I was told of their past families, if they had one. I was told of every damn detail down to their choice of colleges.

Alice was the last and she kept a steady flow of clothing as the topic. More than once I had to cut her off and refocus. Finally, I turned off the recorder and began to pack up. "I have to say, I'm surprised I even caught you here. Normally, people like you tend to flee before we can even find your address," I sighed. Jake had brought the entire dish into the living room so he could be close to us as he vanquished it.

"How many people like us have you come across?" Jasper asked in his southern accent. He seemed worried, as if we had killed them brutally. A wave of calmness spread through me and I suddenly wasn't worried to open my mouth.

"Technically, none. Truthfully, two other families. We barely got their pictures, let alone their names. They fled and we never heard or saw them again so we had no choice but to announce them as dead," I shrugged. This kind of information was classified. "I'll never forget their pictures, though. There were three girls with blonde hair, all so beautiful. Just like you, they had amber eyes and pale white skin."

Recognition almost flashed across Edward's face, but it shot down quickly. "Do you know them?" I felt compelled to ask. He shook his head with a smile. "Our other clan…well, let's just say they didn't disappear on our accord. They were a wealthy large group, but they lived in Italy so we couldn't do much investigation. Our first five detectives…never came back. That's the main reason you are being investigated, incase you were threatening." Since then, we received large amounts of money to keep quiet. Normally, we'd never take into the bribe, but they also sent body parts like ears, fingers, lungs and whatnot. That did tend to do an impact on somebody. We had hoped to have better luck with a smaller group, but so far…nada.

"They wanted you dead, you mean," Emmett snorted. Rosalie had already retired to her room. She _really _didn't like me. I couldn't blame her. Emmett's comment persuaded me to turn on my recorder again, just to be safe. Sadly, I believed everyone in the room caught my movement.

"What do you mean?" I blinked.

"Come on, if you thought we were like them, they were expecting the detective to die as well," Emmett continued. My mouth popped open slightly. I never put two and two together. Of course that made sense. I was so stupid. "Doesn't Paul have a clever coconut?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice. Instead of thinking too much of my position, because I didn't think I could handle another break down, I focused on those words.

"Paul?" I asked.

"Oh Blake," Alice squealed as she clenched my arm tightly. I meant to tell her to stop but couldn't close my mouth from my silent scream to form the sounds. "Everyone knows about Paul's infatuation with you."

I instantly became aware of the recorder being on, but it wouldn't sound good for me to suddenly turn it off. I played it like I would have if it were Embry instead of Paul. "How adorably stupid he is. Tell me, who told you this?"

In the inside, my heart clamored loudly in my chest. Alice giggled, "Jake, of course."

"Well," I looked to Jake with a death stare. He made the motion of keeping his lips zipped. "Let's hope it doesn't progress. Rumors. I'd hate to have to shoot somebody…so soon." I added the 'soon' to sound sinister and it worked. Just about everyone in the room took a step back at my words. Only Edward seemed to be laughing, but he covered it up with coughs. "I'll be back around to see Renesmee eventually. Goodbye."

A sigh escaped my lips the moment I turned off the recorder. My heart squeezed in on itself. The only reason I was even able to talk about Paul that way was because I said 'he'. I couldn't force out his name in the same sentence as mentioning shooting someone. It took too much forced effort against my heart forcing the words to slur.

To my surprise, the moment I stepped off the porch, Jake followed. He came to my side and stopped me. "What was that in there?" he yanked my arm. "If you are using Paul, you have no idea what you are in for."

"I'm not," I hated having to explain myself to people, but this was Paul's friend. I supposed I owed him that much. "I can't have any rumor going around that could get leaked to the FBI. I trust people in LaPush, mainly because Paul is of your kind. While investigating two different groups, its very common that they try to find something to report about me or the opposite group and offer it up in order for their protection."

He stared blankly at me before nodding. Jake was slow. "That better be it," he paced while not letting go of my elbow. I yanked away and headed to my car. Glancing furiously at his phone, he sighed. "Hey, can I borrow your car? It's an emergency."

"My car? No," I rolled my eyes.

"Please?" he begged. I shook my head and climbed in. Gritting his teeth, he stood behind it, blocking my path. I honked my horn but he wouldn't move. That bastard, what the hell did he need it for? I stormed out of my vehicle at the same time a car sped up the drive. From just its speed, I could tell the driver was angry. It made perfect sense when I saw his face. Paul was _always _angry.

"Paul?" I choked in surprise. He didn't offer a smile or anything. Glaring at the Cullen house, his hands shook. Warmth spread through my stomach. To be honest, being near that house had me nervous, but now that Paul marched towards me like I was on his hit list, I felt safe. Odd right?

Paul didn't say a word. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards his car. I protested, but he was too strong. In the end, I sighed and tossed my keys over my shoulder to Jake, who watched with slight worry. "Get it back by tonight!" I yelled.

Placed in the passenger seat, I watched in horror as Paul sped away from the house as if it was on fire. The speedometer reached to its full height soon and I could barely breathe. I was a cop and knew how to drive well, but I still never ventured so fast that a ding sound appeared, telling us we reached the reading maximum speed of one hundred twenty. Still, we increased as the blurry trees flew by barely noticeable. The engine rumbled smoothly. There was no way it could be legal or bought. Who made this?

Shortly after we entered LaPush, he took his lead foot off the gas pedal. Finally, I was able to breathe again. "Paul," I said between gasps. "What the hell?" He gripped the steering wheel tight enough to make his knuckles turn white. Nothing came out of his mouth. He clenched his heart-stopping handsome jaw. I almost forgot about my anger in that movement, but I didn't. "Stop the damn car!" He didn't. Paul kept plowing through town until he came to an old but quaint house. It was two storied and had a homey feel to it. From the outside, it looked beautiful, much better than the house I rented at the moment. Though mine was huge and grand, I didn't like it at all. It was too flashy for my tastes. After venturing into the lare of the Cullen's, my home reminded me of theirs. Finally, he shut off the engine. "Care to fucking explain?"

He glanced at me like I was bother to him in that moment. I ground my teeth and fumbled with the stuck seatbelt. Instead, Paul marched around to my side and opened my door himself. He reached across my body slowly, building tension. I nearly gasped when I felt his hand at my side, brushing high on my thigh as he got the stuck seatbelt undone. I had an urge to kiss him and slap him at the same time. It hurt my head.

Doing neither, I shoved him off me and got out. He began walking towards the house. "Whose is this?" I mumbled from his side. Finally, the angry expression lessened just a tad and was replaced with an angry smirk. That was better than an angry scowl.

"Mine."

"Yours?"

"Yes," he walked up the stares that led to a wrap around porch where the entrance was. Following him inside, I was surprised to see such open space. It was dusty and unused, but so tasteful. "Emily did this." I got the message quickly. It was in hope he would stop using her house and use his own. Obviously, that didn't work. I was grateful for the women's touch though. I followed him to his bedroom hesitantly. We didn't stop long enough for me to even look around, so it wasn't what I thought. Instead, we stepped through a window onto the roof. There was just enough space for us to fit. It was nearly flat, barely slanted like a roof should be. A blanket was spread there so he must have come up here a lot.

"Did you follow me or something?" I had to bring the subject up. It was slightly bothersome. We sat side by side and watched the sun set over the tree line. If I wasn't so angry, I would have been impressed.

"Jake told me…" he clenched his hands together. "Look, I don't care what you do. I don't care where you go as long as it has nothing to do with the Cullen's."

"Why? You were fine when Renesmee came to my house?" I snorted. He acted like he owned me. I was tempted to turn this, like I did with everything, into a challenge, but then I looked at his face. Deep within his eyes rested pain. It hurt him that I went there. This almost argument had true meaning to it,

"I don't…trust them, Blake. I can't tell you why, but I'm begging you, please don't go there," he openly stared at my face. My cheeks lit up, but I ignored it. Instead, I looked at the fading sun and undid my ponytail. Black curls fell around my face, creating a shield from his instance gaze.

"My job…"

Paul's hands clenched each other tighter. I worried he'd hurt himself. "At least let me come with you," he growled.

"What are you going to do?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me. It was kind of an unspoken rule between us to not mention his secret. "Fine, you can come next time, but it won't be for a while." He exhaled in relief. "When does Theo come home?"

"Late, why?" Paul's hand twirled a piece of my hair between his fingers. I kept smacking them away but he didn't give up.

"I'm going to cook for him," I tried to sound confident. Paul snorted with laughter.

"Blake, in order to cook a full meal, you probably should have started an hour ago," Paul chuckled, letting his pent up anger release slowly. I scowled at him. Stupid boy thought he could tease me.

"I don't cook often! My bad."

Paul saw my frown and sighed. "You don't have to impress him," he commented. I shook my head. I had to. I needed to. I needed him to feel welcome in my home. He deserved at least that much. "No, you don't. He already cares for you enough to attempt at threatening me."

"Why would he threaten you?" I asked, looking back at his inviting eyes. Brown eyes were common in LaPush, but his were special. That caramel speck drove me crazy and never neglected to turn my heart into overdrive.

"He's looking out for your safety, making sure I don't hurt you," Paul frowned, as if the thought confused him. It didn't confuse me. Paul had already unintentionally hurt me by just being him. It hurt every time I looked at him knowing that some day, we'd have to end it one way or another. It hurt when somebody mentioned his name, reminding me that I was the one who may have to turn him in. Yes, his entire essence hurt me, but not enough for me to push him away. It was wrong – so wrong, but I couldn't force myself to stop. I was addicted. "He doesn't want anyone dating his _mom."_

I ignored the second voice in my mind that was squealing. "Dating?" I mumbled and looked away. "Is that really what you want? To date me?"

"More than ever," Paul's lips turned into a smile. "Come on, _Princess_. Stop being so dramatic. You want to, too."

I elbowed him. Stupid nickname. "Shut up, Lahore." He howled with laughter and ruffled my hair. My eyes narrowed at him. He smiled cheekily. He did not just do that! I bit my lip and shoved him hard enough to actually make him sway. I thought he let me do that.

"Will you…get in trouble for this?" he asked, finally sobering up. I nodded but couldn't force regret on doing a single thing.

"Enough with that shit," I shoved his shoulder lightly. "If we are dating, we definitely have to have 'the talk.'"

"The talk? I'd hope you and I both know what to put where." Paul inquired. That's right, I forgot he probably had never been in a relationship before. I nodded with a grin.

"How many girls have you slept with?" I asked. His eyebrows shot up. I couldn't help but feel jealous at the same time humored that he was so surprised.

"Oh. That talk," Paul scratched the back of his neck. I swallowed hard. That move…it turned me on. A lot. "Honestly, I can't tell you. I sound awful and-,"

"Lahore," I chastised in a joking manner, "just stop. It's good. You'll need the practice."

"Will I?" Paul's body shook beside me while he chuckled. I nodded with a 'Mmm.' "Sounds tempting. How many guys have you slept with then?"

"Five. At least," I scrunched my nose to try to guesstimate. "One should never ask a girl with any question requiring a number as an answer."

"Hmm," Paul looked at me through is peripheral vision and I did the same, a grin growing on my lips. "You know, I don't believe you've mastered the art of kissing. You probably need more practice."

"Really?" I gasped, interlocking my hand in his. "Do you think Embry is free? He just looks _so _handsome-," I didn't finish my sentence. Paul's lips may or may not have interrupted. A growl worked its way up his throat and before I knew it, I was on my back again.

This time, he suspended himself on his elbows above me. Our lips crushed against each other's furiously. I opened my mouth and he slipped his tongue inside quickly. I ran my hands through his hair, pulling him down on me faster. I couldn't get enough of him. I met his tongue, fighting for dominance.

When I couldn't breathe, I broke away panting. Paul obviously was in better shape because he didn't falter one second before kissing down my jaw. Every kiss, he ran his tongue down. I whimpered when he made contact with my neck. That gave him a surge of energy and he kept exploring, searching for the one spot – he found it.

I moaned, clenching my eyes shut and leaning my head back. A smirk formed on his lips as he continued kissing around, but I moved his head back to that spot. I wanted more. I needed more. My nails raked into his back as he sucked and licked and kissed in the crook of my neck. Lust built up in my stomach. I had to stop or my ovaries would burst. Finally, I pushed him away. He looked into my eyes with a glint.

I rolled him over and straddled his waist as he pulled off his shirt. I leaned over and pressed my lips to his once before working my way down his chest. I licked down his chest, his muscled, hard chest. My nails dug into his shoulder as I kissed above his waistline. He was so close. Lightly, I bit him, making a little growling sound I was a bit embarrassed about. Paul groaned in delight. I continued licking his body, tasting his sweat of his muscles. I didn't know how I had functioned in life before this. I knew I'd forever be addicted to him.

Paul's hand reached the bottom of my shirt and tugged it upwards lightly. I sat up to help him but paused right as my shirt went over my arms. A moan ripped its way up Paul's throat, but his lips paused just short of my collarbone. He looked into my eyes and I jumped back away from him. Paul's lips curled back, he sat up. Worry grew on his face.

Before he could drown me in questions, I pulled my shirt back over me. "I – uh…we should stop for tonight. I can't…" Paul's labored breathing settled down as he took my hand in his. His intertwined fingers comforted me enough to explain. "I don't want you to think…that you are like those guys in the magazine article. You are just…so much more and…" Word vomit had the tendency to overwhelm most guys. Stupid word vomit!

"I get it," Paul's lips smiled at mine and I suddenly didn't feel so stupid. "Thank you, Blake. Don't worry, we can take it slow." He kissed my forehead and I sighed into him. Slow. I hated that word but it was absolutely necessary.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There was Paul's POV! Hoped you liked it. I'm sorry it took forever for me to update. I had finals this week and man they have taken up literally all day. With failing tests and whatnot, I figured I should give myself a break. Because I'm feeling guilty about the length, I'm not going to require any number of anything. All I'm asking politely is that you favorite or follow this. Then of course, five reviews do tend to motivate me! ;)**

**Question: How do you feel about the descriptiveness of this? Does anyone want more? I don't write M stories and post them, but I could easily go into a bit more detail without going too far, so it's up to you all. Sometimes, I feel like it distracts from the plot while other times it doesn't so I normally stick to less of it, but I don't mind if anyone prefers more.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all. SM owns it.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

"I know you have a plane to catch, but I have somebody you've been dying to meet," I raised my hands in surrender as I entered the living room where Mom's bags were. She forced a smile on her face. She had been mad at me ever since I decided to have her leave before Theo brought his crush over. I wanted to work _my _magic, not hers. She had that chance with me when I was young.

"Don't tease me, Blake," she sat down. I nodded with a grin then moved to the door.

"Mom, meet Paul Lahote," I opened the door and motioned to my side. Her brows furrowed and I found him missing. Rolling my eyes, I stepped outside for a second. "Paul!"

"Your mom scares me," he hissed.

"Unless you want me to have to invite her for another long stay, I'd get your ass in there now," I pointed to the door. He pouted but I kept my position. Groaning, he gripped my hand and tugged me inside next to him. I cleared my throat. Immediately, Mom's eyes locked on our intertwined hands. "Paul, this is my mom, Catherine Fallon. Mom, this is my, uh, boyfriend." That name seemed too childish to describe what we had, though it had only been a week.

"Boyfriend," she shot to her feet with a sly grin. Paul gulped.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fallon," he shook her hand.

She walked circles around us. I could feel Paul's hand sweeting and squeezed it. "I'm glad you took note on my advice, Blake."

"Advice?" Paul looked between us. I blushed and shook my head.

"Mom may have…kind of…told me to fuck you or she would," I hid my face in his arm. "Jokingly!" Paul relaxed a bit at that.

"So when do you leave?" Catherine seemed to forget about him for a moment. Huh?

"Leave…"

"Leave?" Paul's hand suddenly gripped mine tighter than appreciated. My face paled. She thought I already knew his secret. His jaw clenched as if to keep in his feelings. I sighed. He always did that; he never showed a single sign of weakness, only anger. That was hard to keep up with. It meant _I_ could never be weak either.

"I'm not leaving," I assured him and shot Mom a look. "My job still isn't done." That's when Mom nearly fainted.

"You've got to be joking! Not again, Blake!" she jumped up and began to drag me out of the room by my ear. I squirmed and slapped her hand away with a scowl. Huffing, she explained. "He's going to ruin your reputation. One more lawsuit and I don't think we can cover you."

"He's not-,"

"I'd never sue her, Catherine," Paul laughed at the thought of that. That wasn't what he should have done, though I didn't know what it was. Laughing off the situation that cost us hundreds of dollars? Well that wasn't the way to go.

"It's Mrs. Fallon for you," she turned on him. "Blake, you aren't even out of the woods with your director's latest threats. Even if we knew he wasn't going to sue you, this gives them more things to pin on you. Lets not forget the fact that this violates three of your clauses."

"Three?"

"Three," I sighed. "Dating, sleeping together, and withholding information from them."

"We haven't slept together," Paul hissed. Mom heard. Great job, Paul. I groaned. You know how most parents would find that relieving? My mom definitely didn't. She thought you should have sex weekly at the least for my age, preferably with as little number partners as possible, but whatever got the job done.

"Blake!" she shouted. "What's the damn point of this mess then?" My mouth opened and closed. I knew exactly what I wanted to say but couldn't form them. She was my mom and I respected her opinion very much, but she just didn't understand.

"They don't know and won't find out," Paul promised. "Other than that, you shouldn't be concerned here." Mom spun around to eye him again. I did as well because frankly, nobody had ever spoken to my mom like that and I _loved _it. His nervousness conquered, Paul stood at his menacing height. "Mrs. Fallon, listen to yourself. You've taught Blake that sex is just sex and has no consequences. Instead of telling her to break up with somebody she may truly care about, maybe you should focus on teaching her that you can't sleep with people to get things done."

Okay, that was more than slightly offensive. I assumed he of all people didn't care about my past. He had gotten into this relationship without a word about my bad habits. Then he decided to mention them in front of my mom? He was Paul fucking Lahote. It shocked me. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. As they fought on, I stumbled backwards until my feet found the couch. My anger slowly built inside my chest as I struggled to get back to reality. By the time I did, Mom slammed the door shut in a dramatic exit. Near that time, I was too exhausted to deal with her. Paul was the closest person and the one with my most concerning problem.

"-Are you listening?" Paul waved his hands in front of my face. I gathered my pieces together and managed to send him a resentful glare.

"Wait, are you talking to the slut now?" I stood and shoved against his chest. He didn't move. Dammit. "I'm sorry, you must be worried I'm just trying to get you in my pants. By all means, here you go! Make sure to tell me all your secrets while we fuck, over and over, pointlessly." I felt disgusted. He made me so mad. To draw my point, I ripped my shirt in two separate pieces and let it fall off my body. My leggings came next and I waved them around my head until it was slung against his face. Paul stood, open-mouthed and stared in confusion.

"Blake, what are you talking about?" he asked in concern. Sure, now he acted like he didn't have a problem with my past. Moving to touch my shoulder, he stopped when I threatened to slap him. I was no baby. He made me feel like such a child. Though his 'concerns' weren't spoken behind my back, they felt like he was some needy parent droning on to other parents about their kids' problems.

"Fuck you, Paul Lahote," I shoved past him. He grabbed my wrist and yanked me back no matter how hard I tired to get free. I ground my teeth and hissed, "I may be a whore but we can't blame me because my mom taught me, right? It may surprise you, but I wasn't a fucking virgin when she adopted me, asshole."

Just as he let my hand free, the door opened. Standing across from us were Theo and his crush Joy Pratt. Wasn't that _joyous_? She was scarlet red and avoided my eyes. Theo scowled heavily at the two of us like we just caused his only chance with her to end. Giggling as she was pulled away, Joy dashed behind Theo to his room while he kept mumbling apologies. I cursed under my breath.

"Blake," Paul ran a hand through his hair as he stepped in front of me. "I didn't mean it like that. Let me explain." I was a cop. Explanations were what I lived for. It took all my willpower not to leave though. I was actually humiliated. He saw me as a whore as well as everybody else. I had counted on the fact that he didn't see me that way.

"I'd love to see you try," I sneered in his face and slumped against the wall. I stared fuming at Paul from my bundle on the floor. He looked annoyed and squatted in front of me.

"You know what?" Paul laughed humorlessly. "You aren't the one who should be mad. Do you honestly believe that? Do you believe sex is just another tool in the toolbox? If you do then yes, you are a whore." I blinked as my eyes stung. Even though it was an 'if' statement, hearing him call me a whore hurt.

"Of course not." I whispered, my lips quivering.

"Then why do you do it? Why?"

I realized I just lied. I did see it that way. It was something easily given and something nonrefundable. I poked him in the chest, telling him to scoot the fuck back. "No," I growled. "You're right, I do see it that way, Paul, because that's how it is. I fucked guys to get a step up in my game. When the world is against you, you have to use _every _leverage. I don't regret it at all. Can you say that about the hundreds of nameless girls you've fucked?" I stood to my full short height but it didn't stop me from glaring. Paul looked shocked to hear my answer, as if he fully expected me to just agree with him.

"No, I can't say I don't regret it. You know why? One day, I'm going to find a girl I want to settle down with and I'm scared as _hell_ that she'll resent me for giving away my love and cherishment to other girls who I discarded without a care. You're wrong Blake. I can tell you every damn name of the girls I _castoff_. I used to think we were alike, you and me, but now I know we're damn different. Maybe I used the girls, but at any rate I was thinking about them, making them happy, if just for the night, at least I wasn't thinking of myself, trying to make _my_ way to the top. I wish I could take back each girl, each night. You hurt people, Blake, maybe even enough to say they didn't love you at all just to keep their dignity. And you don't even feel ashamed of it."

There were no words. We stood at a stand still, neither of us wanting to leave or give in. But there was no giving in between our two totally opposite point of views, not from how much we said. Even if we did, we still bashed each other. I didn't try to turn on my tears, I didn't try to show weakness, but it did happened.

His words hit me deep. I used to think he did things to innocent girls and that he was worse than me. Now, I wasn't just a slut or whore, I was a manipulative bitch. I hated myself. I couldn't even produce enough energy to stay mad at Paul. It took a lot to cause you to hate yourself. Who knew that was humanly possible? All my previous history jumped in front of my face. I wished for it to disappear, but not even for the right reasons. I just didn't want to feel this self-loathing hatred. I _should _have felt guilty for working a man's emotions in such ways. Selfish.

I'm pretty sure I topped the selfish charts.

"You are kidding me, right?"

Theo's voice came from the kitchen in a hissed tone. Paul and I both jumped. I landed with a thud on the couch where the tears wouldn't stop streaming. I decided to act like they weren't there, at least for the moment.

"Theo-,"

"Shut up, Paul," he sighed. "You both should be ashamed of your pasts. You did nasty stuff but look at yourselves now. That's what matters. Paul, you are yelling at a half naked girl in tears. Blake, you need to stop your damn crying and just let Paul heal you. Whatever he's doing, it's to help you. Now you wanted to meet her. She has to be back by nine so we best get this started. Solve this or one of you leave."

He disappeared after scowling again at Paul. We both stared where he once stood in awe. Did those words really come from his mouth? He didn't sound ashamed of me. He didn't sound like he wanted to become another Paul. He was just himself.

* * *

><p>I looked me over in the mirror doing a double take. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't have guessed that I had tears dripping off my face five minutes earlier. After taking a shuttering breath, I exited into the kitchen. Paul, Theo, and Joy talked casually in the living room. My stomach turned when I saw Paul.<p>

It was hard to determine what I felt of his insults. In the back of my mind, I knew they were true. I didn't want to admit he was right or put in the effort to change the way I was. I liked myself. Maybe he didn't, but that wasn't my problem. You'd think he'd have to like me more than that to date me. That's another thing I didn't know. Were we still together? At the moment, I eluded myself into thinking I didn't care. I wanted Joy to _not_ think I was a slut and I wanted Theo to be happy with my dinner…well happier.

Joy caught my eye and smiled hesitantly before excusing herself. She came into the kitchen with apologizing eyes, as if it was _her_ fault for seeing me half naked. That made me laugh. "Need some help?" she asked. It seemed that somebody wanted to make a good impression as well. Humph.

"I think I've got it," I smiled before turning serious. "Look," I glanced into the living room. "I'm not what you think I am. It can't help that it was Paul Lahote in there, but I'm not a slut." Well, actually, I was worse than a whore really. She didn't need that much information. There was a difference between an easy whore and my kind of whore. I didn't sleep with just anyone…only people who offered me something. Though, few people held an exception…if I loved them was the example. Still, I'd fuck Paul any day for being so handsome.

She blushed and giggled, "I understand, Ms. Raine. Theo explained how you both get pretty overwhelmed with each other. We didn't really understand the naked part, but the yelling yes."

That was relieving. "It's complicated. You can call me Blake, by the way." She smiled genuinely again before joining Theo's side in the living room again. I could tell I'd grow to love that girl. With the way she kept glancing nervously at Theo, I thought I'd get the chance to.

. . .

"I swear," Joy blushed furiously. She always blushed. Theo chuckled at her side along with Paul, but I was too caught up in thought to remember what story they laughed at. Instead, I just smiled wearily. Paul kicked my foot from under the table, sending me a reminding expression. Right. I was supposed to be prying into the life and try to get information. I was the detective here.

"So Joy, Theo, tell me, who else do you hang out with?" I asked. I could never get this information out of Theo on a regular basis, but maybe I would tonight. I suspected Joy felt compelled to answer or thought it was rude to do otherwise. I was correct.

She blushed. "Theo," she emphasized, "doesn't seem to find the time to hang out with even me. Can you believe that?"

"Yes, I can," I agreed. It was my life story.

"When he does, it's just with a couple other people. Not too many. I've offered for him to sit with us at lunch, but him and his buddies…" Joy trailed off as if remembering my job, to keep her mouth shut. I let it go. My job got in the way too often these days.

"Only because your friend freaks me out. She's almost as nosy as Blake and her mom teamed up," Theo snorted. It was odd to see him in his natural presence. He didn't hold back his anger like I worried he would. If any girl stood a chance with him, she had to know about his flashes of rage.

"I think Theo just said he's scared," Paul shoved the kid teasingly. I was a little begrudged to find that Paul and Joy knew each other previously. Apparently, he would pick Theo up at her house after he walked her home or hung out with her.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked. Paul and Theo's head snapped to mine thinking I was crazy. It would have been weird for either of them to ask, but I couldn't be me without asking. It was my calling.

"Uh, no," she blushed slightly. I grinned knowingly. She definitely liked Theo.

Both boys kicked me then. It was hard. "Blake," Theo growled. I couldn't hide the smirk. "Can't you-,"

"Know what? I think Blake needs to have a word with _her_ boyfriend. We'll be back," Paul stood abruptly from the table and dragged me on the porch. It was fucking freezing in the middle of December. At least I knew we were still together, but I wasn't sure how long it would last with us biting the other's head off every chance we got. His clamp on my arm finally released. "You shouldn't have brought that up."

"Why? Was she raped?"

"No, but-,"

"Then she should be able to handle a little question," I rolled my eyes and shivered. Couldn't he have stopped to let me get some shoes on?

"Maybe she was molested. You didn't know," Paul pointed out. We seriously got done with a fight not a couple hours ago and now he wanted to pick a whole new one. I groaned.

"Whatever. She was molested by somebody who she trusted," I sighed. "Every time it was brought up she couldn't remember it. Everyone had to remind her of it until they just forget to. Sorry, I won't ask again." Paul blinked at my utterly descriptive comment.

"Uh…no," he stated. He looked me over as if seeing if I had any obvious wounds of some kind. What was wrong with him? I looked away from his gaze in aggravation. "She was cheated on by her last boyfriend and it's a touchy subject for her."

"Uh-what?" I turned to face him again. "Why even bring up molesting somebody then?"

"To make my point," Paul said as if suspicious of my behavior. You know, I kept finding that he got under my skin more than I loved him. It seemed to be a constant battle between us.

"Well point taken, dammit, now can I go back inside?" I didn't wait for him to finish and left him in the freezing snow. When I came back, Joy and Theo perched on the couch side-by-side, very close. I stayed as quiet as I could but Theo heard me. He reluctantly shifted just far enough away so it wouldn't be uncomfortable to have somebody else watch.

"Blake, come on in," Theo sighed pointedly to Joy who could barely create a giggle from his close proximity. I knew the feeling. Paul did that to me a lot. I smiled warmly and took the deserts in as well.

"Joy," I said, noticing the time. "I'm so happy I got to meet you. Theo doesn't bring girls home often." She nearly choked on her brownie at that. Theo's glare bore into my head but I just smiled. I'd make it up to him with my next offer. Maybe I was selfish, but I could do nice things. Paul walked in to watch me embarrass Theo more. "Theo, you're sixteen, right?"

"Yes," he seemed suspicious of my next question.

"Well I've seen you drive. You don't need a license; he's very good with the wheel. Charlie and I are on good terms. Why don't you take the car and drive her home?" I picked at the brownie in hand. Joy and him grew a sly grin on their faces at that.

"It's only eight-thirty. It takes ten minutes to get to her house," Paul retorted from behind me. Theo shot him daggers. I smirked.

"They'll find something to occupy their time. It was really nice having you, Joy," I stood and placed a hand on Paul's arm lovingly, to try to convey a message. Theo had the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. Paul chuckled as the two halfway sprinted out the door with the keys in hand. Theo dashed back in only to give me a kiss on the cheek and whisper a 'thank you.' By the time the headlights disappeared, we both were clutching our stomach in laughter.

"I hope you don't have to meet her parents anytime soon," Paul chuckled. "You'll need some coaching. They are _very _strict."

I remembered whom I was with again and straightened up. I stared him down until he finally looked away. "Do you want to apologize?"

"Do you?" he snorted. I clenched my jaw. He sighed in irritation. "Blake, I am being honest with you here."

"I understand what you are saying, Paul," I hissed. "But I don't have the energy to figure out what needs to be done to change how I 'selfishly think.' I like the person who I am. I'm sorry if you don't."

Paul groaned and sat back on the couch, pulling me with him into his lap where he didn't let me escape. "I like who you are too. Trust me, I do. It's just that one opinion that I can't grasp. For now, it's obvious Theo won't be tainted by it though, so it's okay." Did he think I wanted to brainwash him or something? Damn. "You'll be okay, too, as long as you don't sleep with anyone for those reasons. I pray to God you don't because I don't appreciate cheaters."

I slung my head tiredly onto his shoulder and gazed into his chocolate eyes. The caramel fleck reminded me why I loved him so. "As Theo says, I'll 'let you heal me' if it appeases your guilty conscience." Paul smiled grimly.

"I doubt you'll like that when you hear the other thing," he sighed, pressing his lips to my forehead. I loved that feeling. Paul, the sweetheart - who knew? "We can't have sex."

"You're funny," I giggled wrapping an arm around his back.

"No, I'm serious, Blake," his strained words nearly shredded my insides. Serious? He wanted us to obtain from sex? I kind of assumed we wouldn't wait too long considering we both were extremely open to sex. He didn't have to spell it out for me though. He wanted to wait until we loved each other. I groaned but nodded my head. That was normally my policy with boyfriends either way, but he was the most tempting one I've had.

"You said it," I pressed my lips to his shoulder under his shirt, working my way to his neck. "I'm just here to make you pay for it." Paul clenched his eyes shut as if forcing himself to not fully tackle me.

It would be hard, so hard to not beg him to have sex with me. I had never been so lustful for a person in my entire life. It physically pained me. Not only did I have to stare at his chiseled body, but also I had to be reminded that he was a sex god. His muscles on his arm alone had my mouth watering. His strong grip around my waist made my knees feel like jello. His jawline, his v-lines, his hair, all of it was so overwhelming.

"I already am," he groaned, sliding his hand lower on my waist. I was surprised to be oddly comforted at that and not in the least uncomfortable. Normally, it took some time before I was comfortable with new boyfriends resting their hands over certain areas. With Paul though, I couldn't imagine him ever hurting me. It was okay with him. We were open. "I've already seen you half naked," he groaned. I grinned and leaned further into him.

The door opened a few minutes later with Theo stumbling in, a smirk plastered to his face. "How's it hanging, champ?" I giggled and tore my lips away from Paul's neck. Theo blushed and tossed me the keys.

"Well I've got a girlfriend now," he sighed wistfully and fell into a chair. Paul and I laughed at his bliss.

"Did you use my move?" Paul's eyes flickered to mine fleetingly. I blushed; sure he used his 'move' on me.

"Nope," Theo popped the 'P.' "I didn't have to pin her down to kiss her. She kissed me first." Both boys stared each other down while I giggled uncontrollably. Paul left my side to tackle Theo onto the ground and they began wrestling full force.

I never knew what it was like to laugh this much. I should have started taking weekends off sooner.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I want at least three reviews before the next update. Last chapter's reviews were depressing but I did love the number of followers/favorites it got!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Disclaimer: I'm bored of telling you that I don't own this. SM owns it. Get with the program.**

* * *

><p><em>Panting against each other, Paul's hand slides down my pants. "Beg me," he demands. I hold it in as long as I can. His fingers play around my opening, teasing and testing. Lustful pain runs through my body as I ache for him more, so much more from his strong hands.<em>

_"Fuck me, Paul, do it," I cry, arching my back, bucking my hips into his hand. I dig my hands into his back as he pushes one, two, three fingers inside. He moves his head down my stomach, licking as he goes. Then he whispers below his hands, implying more. _

_He mouths something sexy, but all I hear is_, "_Baaaaaa-Ding_!"

I shot straight up, gasping for air and looking around. Holding my hand on my chest, I breathed deeply. It was a dream. Dammit! I groaned and heard the sound again. "_Baaaaaa-Ding!"_

_"_Shut up!" I yelled and slammed my fist on my bedside counter to turn off the alarm. When I pulled my hand back to my side I was surprised to find plastic pieces splintered into it. Looking over, I found it was in pieces and still ringing. Theo, hearing my distress, came running in the room in only his underwear and looking half asleep.

"Where's the fire?" he mumbled and looked around. Seeing my guilty look, he sighed. "Blake, that's the second time this week. What damn nightmares are you having?"

"It's nothing. Just get ready for school." It wasn't my fault I was as horny as fuck and Paul never seemed to have enough time to actually hang out. We had been dating almost a month and still we hadn't reached past first base. It was worse than when we weren't dating. At least then I didn't know what his kissing felt like, didn't devour his naked chest every time I caught him walking in shirtless.

In the middle of making pancakes, two warm, firm arms wrapped around my waist. I gasped and refused to turn around. His neck kisses caused my face to heat up and when I opened my eyes, I found three boys staring at me like I had two heads. Clearing my throat, I elbowed Paul and shoved him off me.

"I didn't hear you three come in," I flushed, looking at Brady, Collin, and Theo. Paul continued fiddling with my hair. Finally, there seemed to be a sufficient stack of food to fuel them until at least they were out of my car so I turned off the stove and spun around. Paul immediately engulfed me in his arms again. Behind us, three immature boys made choking sounds so I shoved him backwards into the living room. His lips pressed earnestly to mine. "Hey," I bit my lip and pulled away. He grinned and pecked me on the cheek.

"Hey," his left hand rested on my back while the other caressed my cheek. "I hear you want to visit _the Cullen family _again," he said, searching my eyes for truth. I nodded. In all honesty, I needed to get more information for my monthly update. The only thing I had found was a bunch of fur surrounding a huge wolf print in the woods, Jared's _very _well eyesight, and Jake's extra strength. If my hunch was confirmed, then Renesmee should be noticeably older. I needed a picture.

"That's right," I smiled warmly, hoping he wouldn't flip out. He did that a lot. "Want to tag along, old guard dog?" He loved to be overly protective of me. For instance, I tried to go to the movies with Leah one day and he insisted on him coming. Leah left straight away though. He said she was too unstable. I scoffed at that.

"Yes," he clenched his jaw so I kissed him once there. "Are you free tonight?"

"Maybe, why?" I leaned back to look him over. He never was free, ever. Sam, who I saw as his boss, packed on the workload at the mention of us dating. Sam never loved me and the feeling was mutual.

"I have this urge to go cliff diving…and you are joining me," Paul's hands tickled my waist, not letting me go until I nodded. Stifling down my giggles, I shot him an annoyed look.

"Now you've made them late for school," I elbowed him and scurried away. He didn't follow, only stayed splayed across the couch. "Aren't you coming? We are taking your car." He didn't answer. I turned fully around and he seemed to snap out of it, blushing. "Paul!"

"Sorry," he smirked devilishly, as if he found something funny. The car horn beeped from outside. I grabbed an apple and tugged Paul with me. "You should really walk away more often." It was a whisper in my ear that had the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Shoving his shoulder, I bit my lip to hide the grin.

"Joy's been waiting for five minutes," Theo shook Paul's seat once he began driving. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Collin and Brady roll their eyes. They were all in the same grade. Because Theo adopted a deep love for this girl, both Brady and Collin had to 'suffer.' Lately, they took turns hopping in the back of the truck, though I couldn't call that torment from their hooting and hollering. Theo opened her door for her as he always did, which normally cut off a full minute. But who was counting?

"Blake," Joy gasped as she climbed in beside Theo. "To what do I owe you for the honor of your presence?"

I clung to my seat and grinned at her. "He's kidnapping me," I shoved his shoulder while wiggling my eyebrows. Joy giggled into Theo's shoulder. "Actually, he's helping me work."

"Yep," Paul pulled into the full parking lot. "She's the bad cop." He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side as I squealed. "Have a good day!" Joy and Theo joked about his horny foster mom. I wondered if he even knew Paul and I hadn't fucked. "What do you say? Have I been naughty?"

"Please," I scoffed. "In your dreams…" He drove away toward the Cullen residence. I bit my lip before asking the question I knew he'd have the answer to. "Does Theo think we…you know?"

"Had sex? Fucked? Tied the knot? Did the dirty deed? Banged each other? Made love?"

"You seriously aren't that funny Paul," I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Yes, that."

"He knows we haven't. When we do it, I think I'll spend the entire next day bugging him about it until he vomits," Paul grinned mischievously. He kept glancing over at me. I couldn't form a smile. That was a touchy subject. I was horny for Paul and only him. I didn't understand it. Suddenly, only he was the one I could imagine sleeping with and the fact that he won't has caused me major mental problems. "What'd I say?"

"N-nothing," I stuttered. We began a slow ascent of their long driveway. Paul gave me a knowing look. I blushed under his stare but didn't cave.

"It has to do with sex," Paul decided in a teasing way. I groaned. He needed to understand not everything was a light situation. That past month had been, but that surely was about to change when I sent in the progress report of about nothing or when I had to call Mom for a check up, only to be chewed off for being a risky daughter. "Sex, sex, sex. I'm just going to keep repeating it until you tell me. Sex, sex. Sex with me. Sex with you. Sex in a pool, on the elevator. So many ways to have sex-,"

"Just stop it already!" I shouted and pushed open the car door, frustrated. He just liked shoving it in my face, didn't he? Paul quickly chased after me as we walked towards their porch. I could basically feel Alice's eyes watching me from the second story window. It felt like they all watched us with distaste. As my foot readied to step onto their porch, Paul's arm yanked me backwards and into his arm, for which I fumbled to get out of quickly. The less contact meant I didn't have to think of it as often.

"Blake, what's the matter?" he growled in a gruff tone. His grip on my hand never lessened. I looked into his brown eyes and the caramel freckle seemed to make me cave. Dammit, couldn't he have been a bit uglier, just enough to make it bearable to say no to?

"You, dammit," I scowled, blushing. "Your damn rules for 'fixing' me. I can't stand it anymore Paul."

"Rules?" he asked, taking a hand to my face and tilting it so I couldn't look away. Slowly, a small ball of energy began forming in my stomach. I was experienced enough to know that it was lust and it would soon be unbearable to hold back. "Oh, those rules…"

"Please, can we not have this now? I have a job," I tugged against his arm, finally managing to escape. He stood as a statue for a while so I decided to head on in the house. Dashing up to the door, I raised my fist to knock just as it swung open. Instead, I knocked lightly on Jake's forehead. He smirked at me before pushing past and grabbing Paul by the shoulder. Over my shoulder I subconsciously stared as they had a heated conversation, only to be broken by Paul storming towards us.

"Blake?" Alice chuckled lightly and waved a hand past my face. I blinked and came back to reality. Edward and Bella stood off to the side with two full bottles of water in their hands.

"Are you…thirsty?" Edward sent me a wink. My mouth fell open a few inches. It was like he read my thoughts, and I'm one hundred percent sure that's how he meant the comment. Still, I yanked the bottle from his hands snootily. Paul's warm arm gripped mine a little too hard for comfort suddenly. "Paul."

"Edward," his jaw was clenched. As his eyes fell on Emmett's, his arm trembled. I rolled my eyes and intertwined our hands. It helped him only slightly as we took a seat across from Carlisle and Esme.

"Paul, Blake, I'm happy to have you visit," Esme smiled warmly at us, like we were family friends. Shaking my head, I went into my work mode. I shut out the smile I wanted to show. I shut out any emotion towards them. It was all business. "Renesmee should be coming down soon. She's a bit under the weather."

"Hmm," I pulled a large file out from my bag and laid it on the coffee table. "I'm curious…does your family get sick often?" A few shrugs were all I got. "I found something so peculiar the other day. Now, I don't know about you, but everyone loves getting outside during the warm, sunny days. Why is it that none of you ever attended school on those days alone?"

Carlisle looked around at the kids, "That's interesting. We couldn't remember. Renesmee is the only one going to school now for a couple years."

"Yes…she was homeschooled before, correct? Why the sudden change?" I slid my hand away from Paul's to get more files out.

"She needs some social interaction," Bella spoke up. I nodded and leaned back, planning my next move. "Nessie!"

"I love the nickname. How did you come up with both names?" I smiled a fake smile. The first task we were required to know was how to do a genuine smile and a fake smile on the spot. Fake smiles were used for groups who were _too _warm and inviting. You had to draw the line for them.

"Family combination," Jake grinned. "But it's a mouthful." That was just the answer I looked for.

"Funny," I noted and flipped to her birth certificate. "Isn't she only your niece? Why would her name be a combination of Bella and Edward's parents instead of Edward's sister, the same sister who took quite some time to track down her records? You _are _such a tangled group."

"Mom, Dad, I'm here," Nessie bounded down the steps cheerily. She didn't _seem _under the weather.

Paul leaned in closely, "Lighten up a bit. They're nice people." I cleared my throat and scooted a good distance away from him.

"This is my job. I do what I do without help, thank you," I frowned and got up, tapping my pen between my hands as I walked back and forth. Renesmee smiled at me. I was utterly disappointed to have found that she didn't seem to age a bit. She looked a good eighteen, just like last time. The only feature of any difference was the absence of baby fat, but they easily could have said she lost some weight. Damn, she was my whole reason for coming, my whole back up plan for my report this month. "Renesmee, are you feeling well?"

She purposefully coughed. "Just a little upset throat. I wanted to stay and welcome you," she explained with a wink.

"Hmm," was all I said. Think. They never explained the sunlight. It was particularly sunny today though wasn't it? "Would you mind taking a walk outside with me? I've been inside too long and have so much to ask you."

"Not at all," Renesmee skipped to the door and I followed suspiciously at her eagerness. Was my hunch wrong? Something had to scare them away from the warm weather! Their house had millions of curtains that seemed to have been hastily put up five minutes ago. Curtains hid the sunlight.

When we were on the porch, she began to walk me towards a well-worn path in the woods. She inhaled deeply and spun around in the rays of sun. It was normal as could be. I didn't know what I had expected, but it wasn't that. I trudged after her, unsure what I'd have to ask her for a long walk. Somebody cleared his rough throat behind us. We both looked behind us to see Paul's intense gaze on me. I groaned. "Looks like we are staying inside," I said. She nodded, seeming a little depressed.

Sunlight was out. Aging was out. Eating was out, though they never seemed pleased with their choices in food. What even spooked us off about them again? Just because a family was full of beautiful people didn't mean anything, especially when they were all adopted. The only peculiar thing about them was how hard it was to find any of their birth families.

"So…her name?" I sighed in defeat. They explained too cheerily that her dad died in a wreck long before delivery and her mother shortly after due to a surgical complication and she was never named. "I'm sorry to hear that. I can fully understand." My head pounded in empathy. I definitely could understand. My own mother died while giving birth to Theseus, my little long-lost brother.

"I'm sure you can," Edward's eyes reached out to mine. I brushed hair away in frustration. Nothing seemed to work for them, dammit. Truthfully, I wanted to catch them so I wouldn't have to look further into LaPush's secrets.

So I questioned them further, prying into their old school life. Bella's nearly perfect attendance minus a few times proved me wrong. It all added up perfectly. I wanted to shoot them. My gut said they his something, but what?

"I believe that's all I have for you," I said through clenched teeth and began packing things up. Still I wouldn't look at Paul. It got on my nerves that he took their side. I _was _a bad cop, in many ways. I needed information and the more desperate I got, the less I cared about insulting people.

"He's sexy," Alice's shrill voice squeaked next to me. I jumped in surprise.

"What?"

"Paul. I've never been interested in a person who wasn't more on the cute side, but if you went for the full force sexy, then he's got it. I'd be a little overwhelmed," she explained. I stared at her, unsettled. Those people would pop up anywhere out of the blue.

"Oh…" I mumbled, zipping up my bag. I made a B-line for the door, but she jumped in my way, causing me to groan.

"Why aren't you nervous around him?" she inquired. Her eyes kept glancing across the room where Jasper eyed us. He freaked me out.

"What's there to be nervous about?" I explained.

"I know Paul. Not personally, but I have my way," Alice explained in her gossip tone. I tapped my foot, impatient to leave. "Every past girl, even his long-term girlfriends who he slept with _many_ times, was skittish by just his hungry look. They all seemed intimidated by him." I blushed. She caught his looks? He did it a lot, normally people didn't comment on them.

"That's odd," I looked at her shoes, not wanting to explain in full.

Alice gasped and clutched my shoulder, shaking me like a rag-doll. "It couldn't have something to do with your ignorance toward his behavior in bed, could it?" her voice seemed so loud inside the large house. I grew paranoid that everyone listened in.

"When it comes to my ignorance in his bed taste, I definitely don't get nervous," I ground my teeth together, staring deep holes into her hair. "I'll tell you that."

"Hmm," Alice mused, swaying side to side as she peered cleverly at me. "I like you. You're good for Paul."

"Since when have you cared for Paul?" Jake laughed from across the room. Alice pouted, skipped over to Paul, and ruffled his hair up like an annoying older sister.

"I care about all my dogs," she joked, shoving him towards the door. He looked spooked. "Come again, Blake."

"Sure," I sighed, hurrying out the door. They were a too perfect family, but I just couldn't figure out how. Paul opened my door and we drove towards the beach, though neither of us was as excited for that than we were before out visit. It took nearly the whole day. I was sure the water would be ice cold, especially around four in the evening.

"So," Paul eventually parked the car. It wasn't that I was tired, but Alice's last conversation left me unhappy. "How did it go?"

"Awful, Paul," I said, glaring out the window. "At this rate, I'll be locked up in jail within the next month. Mom's the best lawyer there is, but even she can't go against the FBI. They could plant their own evidence if they truly needed." I could feel his eyes on me, feel his anger return in his labored breathing. I liked him mad more than quiet. I knew what he felt when he was mad.

"Why do they hate you so much? Aren't you the best cop they have?" Paul's arm spun my around. I averted my eyes from his.

"I've killed two people," I admitted. "These charges can very easily be taken into court at any moment. They've already cost thousand to cover up. I slept with my boss and he resents me because it 'wasn't for his feelings.' He gets jealous and crap and now he's willing to lock me up."

"You killed two people?" Paul seemed shocked, but not so much as scared, what I had expected.

"Yes," I sighed. "Both of them were in terrorist groups or huge drug gangs. One was in a chase and that should be okay. The other…he raised his gun in a huge crowd, something that normally raises fear. Actually, he was just starting a race. Still, he was guilty."

"Blake," he chastised. I nodded at his frustration. I felt it all the time. He pulled me into his arms. I couldn't keep the smile from forming. I loved it there. In his embrace, I could feel every muscle clenched around me, the heat from his body transferring into mine. "It's going to work out, trust me."

"Okay," I just didn't want to argue with him again. It probably wouldn't be okay, though, and we both knew it.

"Now what's this about 'your ignorance in my bed taste?'" Paul chortled slightly. I blushed and pulled away. "You don't get nervous…but what do you get?" He was making light of the situation again. "Excited? Anxious? Lightheaded?"

"Fucking pissed," I growled, glaring into his eyes. For once, they didn't calm me down. "You joke and joke about it, as if it doesn't kill you every _second _of the day that we can't be together. I want you, Paul. I fucking have dreams about it and wake up screaming because it wasn't _real. _Obviously I get livid that you find it amusing!"

Paul's face contorted between understanding and mischief. He wasn't mad – shocker – he's…impressed? Wasn't he listening? Paul's smirk grew, "You have dreams?"

"Be an adult for a second!" I groaned, throwing my head back. "When can we have sex, Paul?"

"That is up for you to decide," Paul scooted closer, resting a hand on my thigh. "Just say the words."

"Let's have sex?" I asked, unsure what he was getting at. Paul shook his head and his hand went higher up my thigh. My breath hitched in its throat. "Please?"

"No," Paul said. "Those aren't the words. You'll know them when it comes to it. But. Because I'm such a nice guy, I'll cut you some slack. We can go just a _bit _further tonight." My face shot up. Smirking, I pecked his lips quickly and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"How far?" I moaned just thinking about it.

"We'll see. First, I'm taking you cliff diving," Paul grabbed my waist and pulled me out of the car, only setting me down to take off his shirt. "Are you going to ruin your lovely uniform?" I gulped and shook my head. Before he could say a word about my indecency, I ripped off my pants and shirt, clinging to him for warmth. My teeth chattered. One look at me made his lips crush into my throat hungrily.

"Ah, ah, ah," I chastised with a shaking hand. It was nearing Christmas and slush from recent snow was everywhere. I kicked off my shoes and jumped on his back. "Is this helping?" I hooked my feet behind his thunder thighs with a giggle.

"You'll pay for this," he promised and took off in a sprint for the cliff. It wasn't the highest, thank goodness, but it still caused my stomach to drop. We did a flip through the air and I tucked my head in the crook of his neck to muffle my piercing scream. When we hit the water, I wasn't sure if I could move for a moment. Everything around me was dark and freezing. The cold penetrated past my skin deep into my soul. Paul swam us up to the surface where it didn't help at all. The only warmth I got was from his skin.

He got a hungry look in his eyes. I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was from seeing me drenching wet or seeing me in my bra again, but either way, his swam closer to me and kissed passionately. His lips brought heat through me and I was able to kiss him back without totally freezing. "The beach," I breathed. He nodded but didn't move. As his tongue slipped into my mouth, a wave tackled us. We spun in different directions. When I found the surface, I panicked. Where did he go? "Paul!" I couldn't see a thing in any direction. Another wave came and when I swam up, something brushed past my arm. Shrieking, water filled my lungs.

"Blake," he laughed and pulled me with him as I coughed up gallons. I clung to his neck as he swam us towards the shore. When the weight of my body hit me, I crumpled to the ground. Everything was absolutely freezing. Wind pulled at every crevice of my body. His hands picked me up and carried me towards a spot in the dunes. Shelter found me as the blanket fell over us. He lied beside me so I scooted closer.

"Never again, asshole," my breath came rattled. He stared openly at me as I struggled to return to normal.

"Wimp," he said. Finally, I sat up and he followed. "Is it too cold? We can go back to the truck if you want." I was surprised to hear some concern in his voice. I looked up to him with a sly grin. Slowly, I pulled myself onto his lap. Paul's body stiffened. His hair was wild and he was only in his underwear. I moved my bottom, feigning to get comfy, but really I wanted to see how much it took for him to get a boner. Taking his hand, I moved it to my underwear line. He moved it lower from there. We never took our eyes off each other. It wasn't long before I felt something hard push at my bottom. "Bitch," he breathed and changed our positions.

I held back my laughter as he hovered over my cold body. His eyes licked me up. Slowly, he pressed his lips to mine lightly. My eyes closed tightly as I held back the urge to arch my back and pull him closer. He kept light kisses going, but the focus was in his hands. They roamed over my stomach and rested at my hips.

Finally, I couldn't stand it. I pulled his face to mine with a growl. Our lips clashed together in harmony. The familiar feeling sparked energy through me. Immediately, I wanted so much more. He kissed down my neck, sucking and licking everywhere. My hands ran over his muscled chest, a luxury I longed to do for some time.

I gasped as he found the crook of my neck. My eyes flew open and I whimpered slightly. His had such a way that made my knees melt. One hand at my back pulled me closer. My legs wrapped around his body as he sunk closer to me. His other hand moved down from my face to my neck, then down further.

At first, it felt nice. It was something I never allowed any of my past partners do, something I simply didn't appreciate, but I wasn't about to tell Paul to stop. He made it appear safe, comfortable. But then something happened. My eyes popped wide as memories swam past my vision, memories that I didn't know I had. Suddenly, his hand groping my chest caused my breathing to get fast and panicked. I cried out, shoving him back. Even as Paul's body jumped far away, worried, I felt his hands still on my chest. I looked to his face as it screamed my name, but that wasn't what I heard. It was like a projection shown over his face I watched in horror.

My under developed young body pinned against the wall as it screamed, an old man roaming his hands everywhere he could find, especially focused on my chest. My childish shout seemed useless against him. Somebody burst into the room and he choked me as his other hand kept fiddling with my chest. He took a knife and slid it scarcely over it. Then, somebody yanked the man off him, but that didn't stop me from kicking and beating him until he was black and blue

"Blake!" Paul's voice reconnected with mine. I trembled and shied away from Paul's face. His eyes searched mine for understanding, but even I couldn't understand. What was that? I never remembered that happening, not at all. But the room seemed so familiar, so frightening. I was just about eight when that happened. "Shh, it's okay." I hadn't realized I was crying until his arms engulfed me. It made the bad occurrence seem less real, less frightening. I shuddered and hugged him back tightly. It was a struggle to gain back control of my emotions.

He rocked us back and forth petting my hair softly. Every time I pulled away, he held me tighter. Finally, I stopped my tears and let go of his body. "Paul," I mumbled and he instantly released me. I looked into his eyes and found some solitude. They guided me in the right path. "I don't know what happened…"

"That's okay," he assured me, his hands cautiously on my arms. "You don't have to say."

"I want to," I shook my head. He nodded patiently and I looked deeper at his face to find a way to form them. "I – saw something. It was like a…flashback, but that never happened to me." I frowned and looked to my hands. "I was little…this old man molested my chest. I thought he'd do more but somebody stopped him." My mind remembered the knife. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes swept to my chest. There was no scar, but it was like I could feel one there, could feel the stinging as if it occurred seconds ago.

Paul's panting body made me a bit insecure about the memory. "Are you sure that never happened?"

I shook my head. "That room…it was familiar. I'm not sure, Paul."

He bit his lip and took my trembling hand in his. "I'm so sorry, Blake. That won't happen again, I swear."

He felt it was his fault. A futile laugh escaped my lips. "It wasn't you," I elbowed him. "I don't know what it was, but it wasn't you. It…felt nice, before _it_ happened." Again, he wrapped me up in his arms. I sighed. "Can we go home?"

"Sure," he didn't let me walk, but I noticed his arms shook. He hid his rage for me.

"Paul," I bit my lip and gazed up at him. "Thank you. If that happened with anyone else…" He understood and gulped. He still felt guilty. I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed his chest.

Whatever that was, I wished it never happened. Paul would never forgive himself for it and I'd never forget it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That was 5,000 words long. I hope you liked it. It actually didn't have as much as a plot push as I had hoped, but the next one will soon. It should get things moving pretty soon after.**

**I'd like to give a shout out to my favorite (only) reviewer! MariMart has reviewed I believe all but one chapter, maybe even all of them. They are awesome and I wish more people would think like MariMart! In the beginning there was somebody else who reviewed a lot but they disappeared!**

**I'm going away for Christmas but may be able to update depending on how much you want it. Show me the love! Favorites, ****follows, reviews, PM's, anything will work, just lots of them please! Let's have a good start to the new year why don't we? Happy Holidays!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. SM owns it all bebes.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

The same images from two days ago on the beach washed through my mind. This time, I saw his face. I knew that face. It was the haunting face from my gym coach in my first boarding school, the last place I saw my little brother and the same place I got us kicked out of. I never remember why I got compelled to beat up this teacher, but if these images were real memories, I understood perfectly now.

A ringing sound woke me from my nightmare. Breathing deeply, I reminded myself it never happened. Then I slowly walked around the house until I found a phone. "What?" I said, not bothering to look at the caller I.D. It was too early for anyone to get a pleasant 'hello' out of me.

"Andromeda Raine," a chilling voice hissed with fake pleasure. All the color on my normally tan face drained. "Long time no _see_."

"Director, I don't see you here," I checked my nearest windows and rooms just to be sure. "I'm sure this phone call goes against my lawyer's advice. Shall I summon her?"

"No, no this is purely business, business that is best kept under the radar," he sighed. I could picture him at his desk plotting his revenge, fiddling with his wooden nameplate. "It's come to our attention that you've found very little information in the last month. Now, I'm a very considerate man, as you know."

My head spun. I couldn't deal with my new flashbacks and the director's evilness. I sat on a chair and ran a hand through my hand. "Yes, this has become a particularly hard case," I sighed.

"I see and think to have some tips. In past cases, you've used all your ways to get information when news became slow. You aren't here, detective," he spat. I knew exactly where this was headed. Why wasn't I smart enough to have every phone call recorded? Stupid, stupid, stupid. "Listening to one of your interviews, I see there has been some speculation going on of a relationship between Paul Lahote and you, yet you simply deposited the controversy your job causes."

"Paul Lahote, just like the other boys, is hiding something. The only reason for those rumors is because I spend a lot of time around him due to the fact that he slips up a lot," I played the part. In truth, it wasn't as close to a lie as I thought. He did slip up a bit more but I tried not to count it, mainly because it was the few times when he was influenced by his affection over me.

"As I suspected," he agreed. "Now you said this boy had caused a disruption to your investigation." I gulped inaudibly. That was when I was pissed off about the bonfire. Of course it was true he caused a problem, but I deeply regretted acting so rashly. There was no need to make Paul more of a target than any of the others. "Blake, you and I both know the only reason we keep you is because of your willingness to sleep with suspects. Those papers were just the beginning. We still haven't opened the murder charges."

"What are you saying?" I asked coldly.

"I'm saying you will sleep with Paul Lahote. Afterwards, you'll manipulate him like you always do. We'll drop the charges from your ex's and then you'll only have to worry about the murder cases, which will only be opened up if you go against us," I could feel the smile creeping off his words.

"Why? Why are you treating me like an enemy?" I turned it away from his demand for the moment. No doubt I'd still have to do it, but it helped to not talk of the dirty deed.

"Sweetheart," he spat, "everyone is an enemy. You can only trust yourself in this world. Once you learn that, you'll be better off."

I knew what this meant. I'd never be out of his grasp. He'd always have something to hold over my head. The threat pushed down on me. It became hard to breathe. "I'll do it. What proof do you want? I can't send a video like last time, he'd notice." I couldn't believe the words I spoke. Would I really betray Paul that way?

I shook my head. Over the past month I had slowly forgotten about my real mission here. Maybe that was his entire plan in the first place. Either way, he stood in my way and that was the only solution. It was what I did. I knew what had to be done and I did it no matter the emotional disturbance. Paul would just have to get over his stupid method of 'healing' me. I was fine how I was. I was a powerful, determined woman. There was no need or time for changes. He should have seen that. It was just sex. He should be honored that he was the lucky one. We both had been craving it for a while.

"Send me the condom," he sighed.

"You know I won't do DNA without consent. We'd never be able to use it," I chastised.

"Blake, Blake, Blake," he sighed, twiddling his fingers on the cord to create a static effect. "I'm not that devious. A picture of it beside him will do." I cringed. Thinking of the after effects hurt my heart. Theo's door opened as he lazily strolled into the kitchen. "It won't hurt if you are seen in it as well. I'd never report you for porn."

I cleared my throat at the same time Theo's head snapped to the phone. "I have to go. I will follow through by the end of the week." I slammed the phone on the hook hard enough to hurt my hand.

"That wasn't Paul," Theo growled as he stormed in front of me. "What are you doing, Blake?" He sounded strained, like he constantly had to care for me. I clenched my jaw and looked away.

"It's none of your business."

"It may be Paul's," he growled. I whipped my head around and pointed a finger in his chest.

"Does it really concern either of you that I'm the sexual target of my boss? Nothing is happening so stay off of this Theo," I snarled, pushing past him. He crossed his hand over his chest.

"You're right. I don't care," he remembered. The comment had me flinching but I left the room anyways. We had just gotten on good terms. They seemed to have just understood that I did care for him. Then we went back to the bickering. Nothing ever seemed permanent in my life.

* * *

><p>I had it all planned out. I'd seduce Paul, which wouldn't be that hard. After, we would lie in bed doing silly things, feigning to have no other problem in the world. I would insist on keeping the condom. Then, once again being flirtatious, I'd insist he put it in his mouth grinning. I'd send the picture and pray to God he never found out.<p>

I fiddled with the black strap on the hoes. It connected to my underwear. The top was a simple, black push up bra. I sighed. Was I really doing this again? Eventually, I got tired of it. It was the same thing with the same people. Only this time, I'd feel guilty afterwards. I already did.

Somebody cleared his throat from the bathroom doorway. I shrieked and grabbed my robe. Theo stood with his eyes on the ground, a look of disappointment in his eyes. "Theo! Knock," I said, pressing the robe against my body before swiftly pulling it on.

"Look Blake, I don't care about what Paul isn't giving you. You can live without a little sex. And I _will_ tell Paul," Theo growled. I brushed past him into my room where my dress hung.

"Theo, this isn't something I enjoy talking to you about, but I plan on having sex with Paul, if you must know," I ground my teeth. He peered suspiciously at me while I forced a straight face.

"What did your boss say?" Theo asked. It had been a day of his silence, his way of disconnecting from me. Though I enjoyed talking to him again, he was nosy.

"None of anyone's business," I finished my eye shadow. Theo still gazed sadly at me. "What do you want? Isn't Joy coming over tonight?"

"Yes, her father under the impression that you'll be here to supervise," Theo pointed out. I rolled my eyes. She didn't need supervising. I wondered if she'd have the guts to have sex before marriage. With Theo's pestering, I'm sure she'd cave. He could make anyone follow a ridiculous command.

"Paul and I never have a night out. Why are you so against this all of a sudden?" I put my earrings in slowly.

"I know what Paul's plan is, Blake. He doesn't think you are ready for sex yet," Theo admitted. "Frankly, I know you aren't."

I cocked a hip and stared at him. He acted like he was the parent here. "I'll take that into consideration, but I am an adult. Let me have a little fun," I pouted purposefully. He released a long breath swaying back and forth on his heels.

"Just...go to his place. I'll hear enough about it later, I'd rather not have to actually hear it," Theo grimaced. I smiled wickedly and kissed his cheek. "Um...Blake, how do you know when pasta is done?" The blush on his face gave him away. My face paled and I dashed into the kitchen to see the water boiling over the side. I gasped and grabbed the handle, pouring out the majority of the water. Nearly all the pasta was stuck on the bottom. "Is that bad?"

"How about you try making her salad and steaks? You can grill right?" I hoped he could. Tonight he tried cooking for Joy. I didn't know why he wanted to impress her; she was utterly taken with him already. Theo shook his head in an embarrassed manner as the doorbell rang. I glanced through the glass to see Paul's face. Dashing to open it, I couldn't even force a smile on my lips knowing my ulterior motives of tonight. He took a glance at my hair and stockings.

"I take it we aren't just having a walk on the beach?" his eyebrow rose. I shook my head. Lately, he had been distant, barely even making out since the night on the beach. I planned on breaking it off all at once like a bandage.

"Nope, but you are dressed fine," I assured him. He had a loose pair of jeans on and a black t-shirt with a hand made necklace. "Teach that boy how to grill a steak. I'll be out in a few."

Paul chuckled and shoved Theo outside. I knew they'd talk about my devious plans. Well he'd hear one way or another. As a matter of fact, halfway into my changing, Paul thundered through my door. Blushing, I pulled the dress all the way down and looked up to his angry expression. It reached only mid thigh but was tight to my skin. "What do you think you're doing?" his voice boomed. I smiled weekly and undid my hair as the curls bounced around my face.

"I'm taking you out, Boston style. You need to know what a little fun dancing is like. That's all," I held my hands up with a grin plastered on my face.

"Then why the hell are you wearing some sexy ass underwear?" Paul growled. I sighed and took his hand.

"Just incase," I squeezed. "I'm always prepared." He gulped but kept his mad posture. When he clenched his jaw, it nearly brought tears to my eyes knowing I was deceiving him. "Look, I want to have sex. Since you feel like you can't even touch me, I've got to show you that you can."

"Blake, if every time I touch you it brings back horrible flashbacks, I'll never touch you again," Paul refused. I tugged him through the kitchen. On he porch, Theo seemed to be holding up the steak pretty well.

"That only happens along my chest. And I'm pretty sure you aren't attracted to me because of my 'huge rack,'" I smirked and took his keys from his pocket. "Can you find something else to play with or do I need to show you?"

"Damn, Blake," Paul pulled me roughly to his side and reluctantly climbed in the car. "Enough dirty talk."

"Don't like it?"

"I like it too much," he clenched his jaw again. Damn. Even if this task may haunt me for the rest of my life, I'd at least feel some pleasure exploring his perfect body. "Where to?"

"Port Angles," I grinned and clutched his bicep in excitement. "Paul, tell me about your family." I realized I knew nothing about him really. Did he have parents? Siblings? I wanted to find out before I betrayed him. If I asked after, I'd feel like I was only stirring the flames for when he found out. I had a bad feeling that at some time he'd find out why I slept with him.

"My parents are divorced. I lived with my dad until a few years back," he seemed content as I gripped his arm. It probably fed his ego way too much, but I had no problem with that. Anyone who dated me needed a large ego.

"Sorry," I said. He wasn't really bothered by it obviously. "Job?" How did I not know what my boyfriend of a month did for a living? He met my eyes with a steady stare. "Oh." It must have been tired in with his secret. That depressed me. "First date?"

"Now that's a good one," he grinned sloppily. "There was this girl..." Conversations treaded lightly like that for most of the ride. Towards the end I had to help him with directions in the town. It surprised me he didn't know the place. It was a popular club. It was the only club, though he probably picked up girls in bars or strip joints. Did he go to strip clubs? That thought disturbed me slightly so I decided not to ask. "You took me to a dance club?"

"Yes," I grinned. "We are young and horny. That is the definition of clubs in Boston and…well anywhere other than small towns. Please, you'll love it!"

"I can't dance," his eyebrows shot up when he saw some of the outfits other girls wore. "If I'm forced to do this, why couldn't you have worn something like that?"

"One, there's only about two dances and one will be natural for you. Two, I haven't taken off my coat, idiot," I rolled my eyes. The dress I wore wasn't the most conservative. If Paul caught on to the dancing, it would ride up easily so I'd have to watch out for that. It took some more pleading before he finally agreed and we went inside. I could tell he was easily overwhelmed. "You get us some drinks and just watch for a little while. I promise, it's not hard." I giggled at the little joke and sat my jacket and clutch in a table. Paul's eyes followed me to the dance floor.

I quickly found my way into a large group of people my age. The music was upbeat and so loud I could barely hear my own words. I pulled a man into an open area and danced with him. I was so used to being shorter that being handled by somebody my height made me feel awkward. Slowly, my hips swayed with his, his back to mine. Paul, at the bar gulping down a beer, had his eyes locked with mine. I grinned. Jealousy sprouted in his gaze. I ran a hand down the boy's face, teasing Paul. Even though I couldn't hear the growl, I could see it.

I swiftly slapped the boy's hands away from going past my hips. When the song ended, I excused myself and intercepted Paul before he could tackle the guy. "Don't do that," Paul growled. Giggling, I took his hand in mine and twirled around. He stood rigidly watching curiously. "I know how to do what you did, by the way. It's not like I never went to a high school dance."

"Then get over here. And _grind with me_," I shouted, winking and laughing. It was easy to forget the task at hand. It was easy to convince myself that this was all that would come out of the night. It was so easy to get lost in his eyes, in his hands.

Paul spun me around until I fell into his chest laughing. His hands pressed firmly into my hips, but I guided them further south. We swayed back and forth to the song. I leaned into him, grinning an upside down smile. His hands inched down again. A tingly feeling ran through my body. I absolutely adored the things he did to me. It wasn't like I had to show him the ropes or anything. With the way he rubbed my thighs up and down, I became sure he must have fingered a girl in this same technique. As the song shifted, I spun around into his arms and planted a kiss flush on his lips. My vagina was just a little too warm for my likings, especially so early on.

The night went on.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you ripped your dress," Paul stated, his arm around my waist as the car warmed up. I shivered in my coat and swayed slightly. It seemed like beer never affected Paul yet went right through me. Not only did I nearly puke, I had to pee at least four times in the two hours we spent there.<p>

"It was cute, too," I winked. He moved his hand a bit lower. Time to get my plan into action, I thought. "Paul, can we go to your house? I don't want Joy to see me like this."

"Sure," he eyed me suspiciously. To distract him, I kissed his neck. Slowly, I nibbled on his ear. "Nothing more."

"Mmm," I moaned, my hand trailing down his shirt. "I guess you'll just have to watch me undress myself, then."

The rest of the ride home I continued distracting him. He didn't say a word, probably afraid of driving off the rode. It got to the point that when he pulled in his driveway, I worked my mouth to unzip his shorts. There was silence as he threw open the door, carrying me against his chest. I kissed him dauntingly, my legs wrapped around his torso. Gasping, I was thrown onto a soft bed. Paul's hands ran down my sides as he tore at my dress. It moved so fast. Just as he began kissing over my neck, I sat up.

"Two minutes," I panted. He growled huskily and nuzzled his head into my shoulder. "One." Reluctantly, he nodded and flopped to his back on the bed. I dashed to his bathroom and searched profusely for a damn condom. Finally, I found a stack in his cabinet. Keeping my phone in hand, I pushed up my boobs, spruced my hair, and sprayed the little perfume I brought along with me. Then I rinsed my teeth out with mouthwash sure it smelled like musky beer. No more stalling, I told myself, it was time to break our hearts.

Stepping back into his room, I remembered why he made me nervous. Paul was so damn beautiful, not just in his body either. He lit the candles around his room and had sexy music playing in the background. One thing was missing: him. I searched around before sitting on his bed in the sexiest posture I could manage. Normally, I wasn't this flawed while working, but Paul made me insanely insecure…for my standards. I tucked the condom between my puffy lips and waited. He swaggered back in with no hurry, assuming I'd still be in the bathroom. When his eyes locked on me he froze.

"Please," I pouted, tossing him the condom package. He smirked and raised an eyebrow before slowly nodding, a grin growing on his fingers. I crawled to the edge of the bed where he stood shirtless. For the first time, I took in his body without being so close. It was an overwhelming sight. He had a six-pack that was clearly worked for complimented by his large biceps. Arm veins sprouted when he clenched his hands. "Paul," I trilled, whispering right next to his ear, "fuck me."

Paul's hand shoved me back on the bed before crawling on top of me. I brought his face to mine, kissing him as passionately as I could. The entire time he spent kissing down my chest, I fought back horrible memories. He quickly went to my stomach, sensing my discomfort. It wasn't much better there. Though the memories weren't apparent, guilty thoughts invaded my mind. As he ripped off my dress, my eyes stung. It was all happening so fast. The closer and closer he got, the guiltier I felt. It was for the right cause, I reminded myself.

When I felt something hard press against my leg, I knew it was time for my signature move. I'm sure Paul's already seen it, but it was worth a shot. If I had to hurt him so deeply, he should at least have gotten something out of it. My hands trembled as they unzipped his shorts, slowly sliding down his underwear as well.

_What a horrible person_, my conscience chastised. _Paul already got onto you for using so many other men for yourself. He didn't stop to think he could have been one as well. Now you are using him, just like any whore._

I fought against the thoughts and refused to look down, sure the guilty thoughts would come back again. To distract Paul, I spun him around on his back. He moved his hands to my ass, squeezing. Though I enjoyed it, I couldn't help but think how we should have waited just a bit longer. It had been what he wanted. Instead, I resorted to pleading and seducing him. "Smack me," I commanded, not trusting the air to be so quiet of voices. Curious, Paul did as I told and I moaned, feeling his hands against me. A growl escaped his lips as he brought my face to his.

"He's so happy_," _I thought in defense.

"_Is this how you want to remember your first time with him? Every time you think of it, you'll be reminded of Director Jones!" _

I shook my head, moving to the side to bite his ear. I was awarded another, heart-clenching bay. My hands moved back down to his crotch as I pushed his underwear further down. At the same time, Paul slipped one strap of my bra teasingly off my shoulder. On a normal client, I would have already warmed him up with different things. Wow, I dreaded, I was using my boyfriend _and _I gave him crappy sex.

Finally, I lowered my head between his thighs and slipped my bra off fully. He sat up, agonizing lust in his eyes as he fought off the urge to pull me to his chest. Biting my lip, I locked eyes with him before quickly looking away and down.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. It was all too real. Paul's dick was right there and – no matter how much I wanted him, not matter how large he was – I couldn't deal with going through with him on such false terms. I couldn't stand the idea of hurting him so much. He'd feel so betrayed. I cared about him. I didn't want to just jump to sex and ruin the deeper connection we had. Dammit! Still, I had a mission. Before my eyes got too glossy, I shoved him back on his chest as I fumbled with the condom. Finally, my shaking fingers rolled it over his hard member, forgetting of my move. The yearning within me told me to shut out any other emotions. It hit me hard. My body fought two sides. I knew which one should have won.

I covered my mouth as a sob almost escaped my body. Tears spilled down my cheeks that I wiped away as my hands traveled back up his body. His face flashed before my eyes. His penis would soon be within me, bringing more emotions into our fake relationship. I couldn't force my hands to move any further. I couldn't force my body to do one more thing. Nothing, not even the fear of death, moved me an inch further. I trembled, falling away slightly.

"Stop."

His voice hit me un-expectantly. I was sure he couldn't have seen my face yet. Still, I stopped, thankful for the excuse to not break him. "W-what?"

"Blake, what are you doing?" Paul breath was shaky, as if he had to work up a lot of effort to stop focusing on his testosterone. "Are you – crying?" He supported himself by his elbows but soon gripped my arms, flinging me right next to him. One look at his face caused me to full out weep. He wasn't angry or confused; he was just _concerned. _Paul, the hot, perfect, sexy, innocent man comforted me: the traitor, the manipulative self-centered bitch! What was wrong with the world?

I couldn't grasp my head around it, but I knew one thing. If I stayed next to him knowing I was about to use him like every other man, I would have had a heart attack. I scrambled off the bed and crawled into a corner, pulling my knees to my chest. What was wrong with me? I was a horrible person and would never change. "I'm – I'm so sorry," I wailed. "Paul – I…" I couldn't finish because my sobbing choked me. Warm arms pulled me to his chest. I didn't understand. He should have hated me! "Don't touch me!"

"Blake, what's going on?" He sat me on the bed and wrapped a blanket around my body. He didn't bother doing his own, obviously comfortable with himself, as he should have been. My head seemed a bit more screwed on with a blanket separating our bodies.

"I – I," I gasped between whimpers. "I never wanted – I'm horrible. You…should break u-up with me. I'm awful and-," Paul shook my shoulders violently. I guiltily stared into his eyes.

"Stop saying that about your self," he commanded, anger evident in his eyes. "You are a good person, Blake, but, dammit, tell me why you started crying when you saw my dick? I've had people faint, but not cry." With his cocky smirk, he managed to get a small, futile laugh out of me. "See, that's better. Now tell me what the hell is wrong."

I kept staring into his chocolate pools of brown. The same caramel freckle calmed my nerves. When I was able to form a real sentence, I spoke. "I…was given orders to sleep with you, Paul," I spat. Hatred spun around my body at those horrible words.

"You – you were going to _use_ me?" Paul stumbled back. He looked away from my eyes. I nodded shamefully. As anger took over his body, I forced my eyes to look away. He didn't deserve to have such a low life's gaze on him in his time of weakness. Multiple sounds happened: a wall creaking under the weight of Paul's fists, a door slamming, the same door opening, and the groaning of a man in pain.

I wished his anger had taken over more. I wished he had irrationally killed me; beat me up and murdered me. It would have made the pain in my chest, the pain like somebody was personally squeezing my lungs, go away. I wouldn't have had to feel the anguish from his glare. I wouldn't have had to feel my heart slowly shrivel up, as it felt like it was slowly being punched further and further away from me, each battering a new wave a pain flushed through my veins. Most importantly, I wouldn't have had to look at Paul and see my pain ten times worse written on his face, in his fists, in his heart. I wouldn't have had to know that I caused him so much unthinkable pain.

I think I loved the man and yet I had just took his heart and ripped it into millions of pieces, chewing and torturing the remnants.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Merry Christmas! Happy New Years! Thanks for the reviews and follows! Let's see some more, I have two chapters ready to post before the end of my trip…if you all really want it.:)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

I sobbed worse than I ever had done before. Throwing myself down, I was a guilty heap of weakness. My head spun. Why could I not have just ignored the damn director? Paul deserved that. He deserved so much better than me. His silence wafted through the unfamiliar room. My head rose from my crumpled position.

"Paul," I choked, "I'm so sorry. P-please just…don't hurt yourself." I worried he would pick a fight with the wrong guy or get drunk and stumble off a cliff, even though I'd never seen him drunk. I could picture a car speeding down the freeway going one hundred twenty miles an hour with a crash waiting to happen. I groaned, stood, and smacked a wall. He made that look so much easier. Clutching my throbbing hand, I crawled to the pile of his clothing, wanting nothing more than to see him appear in them.

Footsteps echoed against the hall. Clutching the blanket, I waited. And waited. I realized he was pacing, debating something. I prayed it would be in my interests, though it was doubtful. The bleak situation was all of my doing. I wouldn't be surprised if he came in here and spat on me. He had directly told me how awful using people like that was and yet I did it to _him._ Suddenly, the door crashed open. I tripped to my feet, wiping my eyes with one hand, and waited for the notice.

Paul's angry eyes met mine with forced confusion. "Give me the whole story," he growled, clutching his shaking hands. I opened my mouth to speak but no words were formed. I was too scared I'd say the wrong thing and never be able to make it up with him. If I knew one thing, it was that Paul was an angel sent from heaven above to protect me and I'd never live a single day without him. I hadn't even lived once until I met him, only existed. He caused me irritation, but it kept me on my toes, it kept my life from being utterly drab. "Now Blake. You have one chance."

That didn't help. I gulped and nodded. His gaze burned holes into my head as I spoke, looking at his feet the entire time. "Back at the bonfire when you, uh, pissed me off, I wrote a report saying you were the…cause of my delays. They heard somebody saying we'd be a cute couple and now Jones said he'd only take away the latest lawsuits if I slept with you, but I didn't and that's good and I'm rambling and… I'm going to jail, Paul. Mom can't win this one. Please, just let me go thinking you forgave me. Please."

He took some time glaring at me as he paced the floor. His arms kept shaking while Paul clutched his head, as if struggling with something. I wiped at my eyes, trying to regain what dignity I had left. Hell, I was already at fucking zero.

"How would they know?" His voice sounded pained, in a whisper that gave me chills.

"The condom. They wanted a picture of a used one by your…face," I stuttered, surprised he'd think to ask that. What did it mean? Would he only get madder? My body shook. I couldn't deal with him being hurt even more.

"Dammit Blake," he shouted. I flinched. His menacing figure towered over my short frame. It was the first time that I had ever been scared of him. "I hate this! This whole relationship is bogus."

"Don't say that," I muttered. It sounded so horrible. He could break my heart if he wanted, but saying we just wasted a month together, a month of breaking the law for me? It was quite embarrassing.

"Really? What's my _mom's _name? What's my worst nightmare?" Paul shook his head and backed out of my face. I gulped, knowing none of that. It never bothered either of us before. I liked simply being in his presence. His aura helped me. I became more humane around him.

"I don't…know but Paul," I insisted as my confidence slowly grew. The tears stopped falling and I was able to pull the sheet tighter around my body. "There's some reason that this hurts so much. I don't know why. Don't make me chase after you because I'm not good at it." I pouted at him. It didn't work to lessen the tension. It would never work, I realized. He made his decision. "Paul, please, let me make this up to you."

"How? Going to offer to sleep with me?" he sneered, turning his head away from my gaze. My heart squeezed in protest. Somehow, this town turned my past into something absolutely terrible. I had never had a second thought of my actions until now. It wasn't a happy feeling either.

_Stop it! Stop making me rethink every choice I make. It gives me a headache. What's wrong with being me?_

I didn't say that though I wanted to. Instead, I knew there was no reason to turn the tables. It was I in the doghouse. "It doesn't matter, does it? Please don't make me feel any worse," I said through an unquenched mouth. With one last longing look, I slowly picked my way to my clothing that lied strewn across the floor. Just as I started towards the door, he shot an arm out.

"Hold it." The words seemed like it took every ounce of control he had left, which didn't seem like much. His shaking rage finally looked on the road to being reduced. "What did you say they needed?"

"Huh?"

"What. Proof?" Paul's eyes clenched tightly. My mind was buzzing at his close contact. Butterflies swam in my stomach. Even with as far as we previously went, under false pretenses really killed the memories.

"…I - a used condom in a picture next to you," I bit my lip curiously. He sighed, looked to me painfully and walked towards the bathroom. "Where…?"

"Do you want it or not?" My mouth opened to respond but no sound came out. I stood there, unsure what he implied. "Drop the sheet." I raised an eyebrow. Annoyance written on his face, he grabbed his phone from the black beside table, stomped to me, and yanked the bed sheet out of my hands. Before I could react, a flash of light blinded me. I was spun to the side and the camera flashed again. Seconds later, the sheet was shoved into my hands. I realized he just took a picture of my naked body leaning against the wall.

_The FBI track your phone, idiot. Thanks for passing my nudes around the office._

"Wait," he commanded and then thought second of it before entering the bathroom. "In the kitchen." I stumbled numbly out of the room confused. I was reluctant to leave, wanting to know exactly what he planned on doing, but he stayed quiet until I left, somehow he knew my exact location in the house.

I pulled my clothes on out of habit. Finally I looked around his house. My nerves were still on end and I jumped at the slight bit of movement. Still, I searched his medicine cabinets futilely.

Let's be honest, since seeing his _huge _dick, it was clear he didn't use steroids, and if he did, it was just so he wouldn't somehow kill a girl with his size. Honestly, did he have to flaunt it? It was like, 'I know your tits are flat but hey, I got this huge 10 footer.'

_That's because it was erect, exaggerative idiot. It is 9 inches. _

I really hated my subconscious when it felt the need to correct me on terms like that. I was complaining. Still, 9.7 inches was fucking long! Compared to my sad usual of about four inches, yes his would be _amazing_ inside me. I found out pretty quick in life that I sported a long ass vagina. Once, if I hadn't been trying to get on the guy's good side, I would have asked if he was in yet. With Paul, I only slightly worried I'd have to tell him to pull out a bit. Just imagine the spots…

I snapped out of it. What could he be doing? He had to have been gone for about three minutes. There was no reason to waste time. I busied and distracted myself by fixing a bowl of macaroni. Footsteps surprised me only a few minutes after it was done. That was a total of fifteen minutes.

I spun around with two bowls in hand, his larger. His eyes locked on the food immediately and reached out to it. I yanked the bowls away when I saw something in his hand.

"What is _that_?" I hissed, squinting to see what he obviously hid. If it weren't for his glare, I would have sworn I saw him blush. I sat the bowls on the table and peered at him. I was still worried that he'd suddenly bolt and realize I wasn't worth it so I didn't ask again and waited patiently for his reply.

"I'm saving your ass. Where's your camera?" he sighed, all emotion drained from his voice. Suspiciously, I held up my phone. "Don't laugh and take the damn picture, okay?"

I nodded, hopeful, and raised the camera. Heat rose from my neck spreading onto my cheeks when he pulled his hand from around his back. He held a very much used, large condom. I couldn't help it; it was too hysterical to not laugh at. Shakily, I snapped the picture. He had a mean look on, but I was otherwise thankful. Once the picture was sent, a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Suddenly, the air became cleaner. I could breathe.

"Paul," I gulped. He met my eyes. "Why?"

He pushed the words out slowly. "As much as you think you were going through with it, you were stopping long before I spoke up. You physically couldn't do it. It just took me…a few minutes to remember that," Paul's brown eyes were suddenly so enticing. With tears pricking at mine, I rushed forward and threw my arms around his neck, hugging the life out of him. Reluctantly, he put his arms around me. We stayed like that for a few minutes longer until… "You do realize you have my used condom in your hair, right?" I shrieked and jumped backwards, growling at him.

With a smirk, he threw it away and washed his hands, the same hands I couldn't stop staring at. They caused fantasies to flash across my mind. Only minutes ago, he had been running those fingers up and down his dick. "Took you a while, huh?" I teased half-heartedly as he settled at the table, scarfing down the delicious macaroni.

"You try it with a condom on," he elbowed me defensively. I blushed and looked away, thinking of his latest actions. Growing lost in thought, I jumped when Paul's hand rested on my shoulder. "Blake…promise me we'll be open with each other now."

"I can't," I turned my head, matching his award winning stare. No matter how much I wanted to say yes to him after this, I did feel the need to be more honest. "We both have our secrets. And I won't let you tell me yours. Not now. Not after you saved my ass. If I ever find out, it will be without your help. I can't have…any reason at all to think I used you," I shuddered. Paul glanced to me with a smile tugging at his lips. "I promise that I'll never use you?"

"That will do," he sighed, though I could tell the pressing weight grinded at his back. Then a memory butted its way into the playing field and a devious grin marched its way onto my lips.

I gasped, "You took my picture of me to masturbate to, didn't you?" Sheepish wasn't a word used in the same sentence as Paul Lahote. Instead, anything considered 'sheepish' to others gave him a smirk. He lightly pressed his lips to my cheekbone.

"I hope it's not weird," he gripped my hands and pulled me against his bare chest – though he put on shorts – and whispered into my ear, "because it's not the first time." I scoffed, squeezing his biceps to make sure I was in his presence. The last time someone had been so forward and daring and _my age _had disappeared from my mind.

"No," I kissed his shoulder teasingly, licking it before pulling back. "It's hot." I had never understood what people saw in me past my pretty face when looks were concerned. I had no boobs, but now I understood. My ass must be pretty big, which I supposed it was.

"By the way, my mom's name is Whore. Don't ever compare yourself to her, Blake." The grin on my face shone brightly.

* * *

><p>I paced back and forth, staring at the still blank screen. It had been time for another update. Paul and I hadn't seen each other for over five minutes since the embarrassing night weeks ago. It didn't count if Theo was in the room. By now, it was early January and the FBI requested that I did biweekly updates. As much as I hated it, I knew I needed to have a conference with them. Things were going nowhere. Sam's clan seemed to stray further away from me since the 'almost-sex' incident with Paul. They finally found out how far I was willing to go and how much pressure I was under. From Paul's requests, I assumed, they didn't give me anything to tempt myself.<p>

It worked until I actually needed more than a few changes to their normal schedules. "Hello Cam," I sighed, twiddling with my thumbs. "No, read the fifty different identifications of my tracked cell phone on your left side…yes, now what's my name?"

"Agent Andromeda Raine is on the line!" The clueless intern Cam yelled as loud as he could even though there was nobody to listen. Cam got all the calls of the non-emergent cases. If we had an emergency, we called a different number.

"Put me through to the Director Jones's second," I hissed impatiently. It took him about four minutes but I was finally on the other line. "Braxton?"

"Is that Blake, I hear? Crawling back to me," he scoffed. I groaned. Yes, my ex Braxton never got the slight promotion I stole from him only to later get appointed to the fucking second! He was the second most powerful person of the FBI and still he resented me.

"I need a meeting with the board. My laptop is set up. It will only take five minu-,"

"No."

I groaned, "Braxton, you know if any agent in any field is requesting a meeting, we have to get one-,"

"No," he interrupted me again. "Blake, it's come to my understanding that you are on a probation case. Why in hell would I help you _now_? One mishap and you get fired…hello?" I programed my phone to do this when I talked to my mom, to make her think I lost connection. "Blake?" Instead, it took me only a couple seconds to figure out the director's new main number.

"Who is this?"

"Jones, set up a meeting. We need to talk about our next step in the open."

. . .

"Why have you called us here today, Agent Andromeda?" the council's ashen face stared coldly at me. Every meeting I forgot how much power they all held because of how fucking old and wrinkled they were. Director Jones may be my boss, but these were his executives who had been in the business for a long ass time.

"I'm at a stand still in my investigation. I need to know when it's time to pull out," I said in a monotone, staring at the computer screen ahead of me. There were a total of six old bats while the director sat off to the side inattentive.

"Pull out?" Jones laughed, not looking up from his tablet. I ground my teeth. Where did the times go when directors weren't obligated in the room during classified meetings? "We don't-,"

"Pull out," repeated one of the tired looking men. He always was the pessimistic. It was actually his job to think of any possible threats no matter how slim. His yellow glasses bobbed on his face when he spoke. "You are wasting our time and money."

"Now hold on a second," cleared one of the youngest councilmen I had ever seen. He was only fifty-three, a recent retired officer I used to work closely with. I almost forgot about him when he went off the grid for a full year, but that was just his last case. Hope spread through my lungs when I heard his familiar voice. Board meetings were something no agent ever wanted but had to have before they yanked you out without notice and put you on the desk jobs. Every meeting, our jobs were at risk. "Andromeda, do you believe something is going on?"

"Yes," I confirmed. They looked to me for an explanation. "They have, and keep open minds, almost inhuman strength, hearing, and eyesight. Every touch of their skin burns at a constant 108 degrees Fahrenheit. They disappear to the woods constantly. I've tracked them but found the sensors picked off and crumpled, like they knew I did it. So I tracked their clothes, something undetectable, and found the clothes hidden in a bush or caught with one of the common wolves, from which their speeds cause them to fly off. Something is going on, but I'm sure why it is would be a bother to look into."

"And the Cullen's?"

"They are peculiar with their pale qualities and cold touch, but other than that, everything else is normal. They are very guarded, but we have no firm suspicions."

They seemed to take in the news with more regard than I assumed they would have. Scratching at their worn out beards, they talked quietly amongst themselves. In the background, I could hear Jones fighting to get me off the case and therefore fired. My retired co-worker, Hans, shouted back equally, obviously pleased he had the authority over Jones for once. By the time people too their seats, my palms sweated enough to burn a hundred calories.

"Agent Raine," the head spokesman sighed, fixing his glasses onto the paper. His beady eyes read over the notes quickly before staring at the screen. "We are at odds. You have a choice. Keep searching for the answer and retain your job once the puzzle's been solved." I gulped. Before, that used to be my goal. Now it sounded like the only better of the two options. "Or you can leave now with a large bonus and find an occupation elsewhere. We don't have time for quitters in the FBI."

"I'm not quitting," I shook my head. "Do we have any new clues?"

"I'm afraid not," he wasn't afraid at all. He seemed pleased. "It's come to our attention that you've been on this same case for a couple of months now, Raine. We are requiring you to go on your paid week long vacation. We are simply worried you've been biased or tricked over by this town. If that is the case, there could be clues for you waiting if you get back."

"If?" I muttered. He smiled overly sweet. "Sir, I don't take vacations."

"This is not optional, Agent," the pessimistic one screamed. I wish I knew their names. It was so confusing looking from ugly bat face 1 to ugly puke face 1. "Now is the time to tell us any information instead of writing the reports that take weeks to get in the mail."

Loathing spread through me. Months away from city lights and propaganda filled televisions finally got my mind clear of some sort of fog the FBI. I realized some of their true, heartless intentions. What came out of my mouth was expected to come sooner or later considering the relationship I had held. In reality, I couldn't imagine harming any of the guys that would come and go through my kitchen. I couldn't think of ever forcing them to turn their backs and cuff their hands at my fault. It hurt too much but I also knew there was no way to save them all, not at the current time. Even though it may or may not have been wasted efforts, I couldn't help blurting out.

"Yes," I nodded. My mouth spoke before I could process the words. "Paul Lahote has slowly turned back to normal. He looks exactly like he did before his sudden change. He doesn't go to Sam's house or in the woods anymore. He seemed cured and should no longer be considered for investigation."

"What?" Director Jones shot to his feet. For a second, I almost forgot his seething body in the background. Now he paced behind the seats, plotting his next revenge on me no doubt.

"We would like a picture," a council member said, scowling at Jones's disruptive behavior. I nodded. Pictures would be easy to manipulate, epically when I knew exactly what to have. I just needed a firewall of about ten minutes; one that I knew a certain smart Cullen could help me with.

"What has caused the sudden change, Agent?"

I shook my head, unsure what excuse to make up. "I'm not sure, Sir. It could have something to do with his anger. I'd bet he rejected Sam and left, therefor shifting back to normal," I made up the most vague lie I'd ever done. Sometimes, elusiveness bought people.

"As you say," they nodded in agreement, happy to have one less person, a particularly dangerous person on that note, off their shoulders. "Andromeda Raine, turn in your badge to Charlie Swan temporarily for the week. Reclaim it at the end of the week if everything goes smoothly."

I gulped, "And if it doesn't?"

"Let's just hope for your sake, we can all trust your skills and information, including the new partner for the week. Have a good day, Detective." I groaned and fell back on the floor once the screen went black. Those no good, two timing, biased sons of a bitch…

A/N: Guys that was awesome! Seven reviews! I only got to check it recently or I would have posted sooner but my wifi is only in one spot here that I don't travel to often. If reviews and follows and favorites are great like that again I think I could do a regular update schedule!? Let me know! :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Disclaimer: No tengo los derechos de propiedad de los libros de Stephenie Meyer. Translation: I don't have the property rights of the books of Stephenie Meyer. Be impressed by my Spanish because it's rare I remember. SM owns all.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

Glancing over my shoulder while stirring a pot of pasta wasn't exactly the easiest thing. My hand was sweltering and I kept burning the pasta. Still, I managed. Worry flooded through me when I found Theo still staring angrily through the window. "Theo?"

He didn't respond. I knew I didn't do anything to _him_. Anyone else? I couldn't truthfully say their feelings weren't in pain because of me. Mom felt that I was a careless. She hadn't called since her last visit. Sometimes I could find myself staring at the phone for hours waiting on her weekly call. I missed her annoying ways. Paul thought I was going to use him if I simply conversed with him. It hurt but I didn't trust myself either. The only person I found myself speaking to was Charlie. He kept offering me to help him out because 'kids these days think they know everything. Next thing you end up with is a foot with a bullet in it.'

"I have pasta," I brought Theo a bowl and a fork. He ate it slowly, obviously distracted. "What's eating at you?" The pun was not intended, wink-wink.

"Joy's left school for the next week early. We get a week off since we just finished finals today," he kept glancing at his phone. I bit my lip and slowly chewed on my buttery pasta. It suddenly tasted bland. For the time that he's lived at my house, Theo never found happiness from my actions. I was lucky enough that Joy gave him joy…two for two, everyone.

"Trust me," I agreed. "Time off kills."

Considering my board meeting ended in the FBI's favor this morning, I waited sadly for the new guy to come and replace me for a week. The entire situation scared me. I'd have to sit around the house all day? Boring. What would I do with Theo? One look at him and I'll be filed for treason and he'll be questioned intensely.

"Why don't you take a trip with some of your pals? I'm sure Collin and Brady have been dying for a trip to...L.A?" I offered with a tight smile. I knew those boys grew up in a small town and probably hated it. They'd be itching to go to a big city. I on the other hand was thoroughly finished with large cities. Paul had advised I lived in LaPush and at the time I thought he was crazy. Now it seemed so tempting, if it wasn't for my job. Everyday, I lost one sliver of interest in my job, mainly due to my horrible bosses.

"We have our work, Blake," Theo reminded me. Work. That was an odd word for a sixteen year old like him. He was such an angry kid I could never have pictured him with a job.

"What's your job?" I pestered, refilling his bowl for him. If I kept him happy maybe I could make progress. "How much does it pay? And what have you been doing with this money?"

He rubbed his temple spots and groaned. "It doesn't exactly pay in money worth keeping, not at my age."

"Do you plan on going to college then?" I asked. If he barely got paid now he couldn't have a great salary after college.

"I don't know. Is that a problem?"

"It is, actually," I growled. I didn't ask him of much but I wanted him to get more learning than the pathetic excuse for knowledge he got from high school.

"You didn't go, not really."

"And now I sleep around for money. I can pay your entire way through. You can get any job you like but please, just four years," I didn't beg, but I didn't demand either.

"Paul will love to hear that you still sleep around again," he smiled mischievously. I narrowed my eyes at him and he turned back to his serious self. "Blake, I don't have the time. Sam-,"

"Sam is supposed to do what's best for you. You need college."

"I can't deal with more years of school. If I ever time off, I want to do things I like. Hike, sail," he listed, picking off his numbers. He really didn't know what he liked. It bugged me. Maybe if we tried some of these things, he'd understand either how boring or how expensive they are.

"Hiking takes only hours. You could do it between classes," I suggested, forming an idea.

"Let me revise that. I like camping. The outdoors, the woods, the stars at night…it all seems beautiful," Theo sighed wistfully. He made it sound so majestic. I've never been camping either. I haven't done a lot of things. "It would take a full day is what I'm saying, sometimes more." I felt like I was missing something. Then it hit me. We had time off with no other plans. Neither of us could spend a night somewhere else. Why not hike?

"Let's go," I grinned.

"Excuse me?" Theo scoffed. He had a cute little smirk on his face. He really was a beautiful kid. Even though he wasn't mine, I felt proud of his abilities. He was stubborn and smart with good looks. With him around, things felt just a bit better.

"Let's hike. LaPush has so many hiking trials. I'm sure one can be long enough for a quick over night and then back down. What do you say?" The more I spoke, the bigger my smile got. Just me and him out in the wilderness getting to know one another… It would be perfect.

Of course we had to rely on him to turn it down. "Paul won't let you, Blake. He says it's far too dangerous in the woods. I agree."

Paul's controlling seemed cute when he actually talked to me, but now it made me angry. If he wasn't communicating in our 'relationship' then he shouldn't be allowed to tell me what to do. "I'll handle that. In the mean time, start buying camping gear at the Newton's store."

He looked suspicious but finally got up from his bored stone pose. I sighed in relief. Theo had a spark in his eyes, like he secretly hoped I could handle Paul. Yes, I did too.

* * *

><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

Biting her nails was not a normal habit of Blake's. It came about when she lost her old habit of running her fingers through her hair. She got rid of that because she noticed me doing the same thing and didn't want to seem like I copied her every move. I tended to run my hands through my hair a lot more than she did.

"Just, don't show yourself, okay?" Blake gushed, pacing back and forth in front of me. Her temporary replacement arrived today. It was imperative for me to seem clung to Blake if the replacement was one of Jones's goonies. Even if not, we needed him or her to think that I was the one living in the other room, not Theo. They'd respect Blake like every other person in the FBI unit did at her sex use knowledge. They wouldn't think anything of it for her. I just didn't understand why I couldn't show myself at all.

"Don't do anything?" I mumbled, looking at my hands. "You are asking me to be hide in Theo's room all night?

"It would help if you did it," she noticed blood forming at her fingers and stopped chewing. "Paul, just for a few seconds and then I'll disappear to Theo's room with you." There was no way in hell I'd disappear. If so many people knew she was basically a whore from Boston, I doubted they have much reserve of making a move on her.

"Where's Theo for the rest of the week if he's staying here?" I raised an eyebrow. Currently, he ran patrol but he needed to be totally off the grid for the entire week.

"Well…I was hoping he could crash at your house for a day, then we'll both go to a hotel, then hiking, then back to the hotel and he'll be gone the next day."

Blake secretly slid the hiking part in there. I still noticed and stood in anger. Hiking? The woods were dangerous, not only with vampires. I could just imagine her wandering from Theo's side into an old cabin where a fifty-year-old man would rape her. My eyes instantly ran up and down her body before settling on her furious face. Ever since her little incident in bed, one look from me made her blush. It was adorable but that only warned me to stay back. I needed to keep all contact from her until I was positive she was in love with me. I knew she loved me because of the imprint, but until she was ready to drop everything for me, we couldn't have sex. It wasn't that I didn't trust her – though that's still hard for me to do – she still hasn't figured out that sex isn't only physical. Even when I slept with girl after girl, I knew emotions were tied in with it. She didn't even realize that and I had a horrible suspicion why.

"You are hiking?" I repeated with edge in my voice. "For how long?"

"A day," she mumbled, looking out the window in defeat. "And a night. We'll go over the mountain on the first and second day. That night we'll have a quick jog down to the bottom of the other side and drive home."

"Not a chance," I scoffed, my mouth turning into a sneer. "The woods are-,"

"Dangerous, I know," she rolled her eyes and grabbed for my hand. Her feeble, tiny hand slipped into mine. That only made me realize even more at how breakable she was. "This is the only thing I can give Theo. He still is distant. I need him to…I don't know."

"Why? Aren't you just going to give him up when you're finished?" I never liked bringing up that subject. Pain would always cross her face. It hurt me to think about it ten times more. The thought of her leaving me for just a job gave my heart the feeling that it was being squeezed to death.

She blushed, "No. I don't want to. I really love him, Paul. I don't want to take him from here either."

"So you're staying?" I said with too much hope in my voice. I cleared my throat, not wishing to seem childish. Blake giggled slightly and we saw two beams of light pull into the driveway. Here we go, I thought.

"That's a…sweet thought, but it's complicated." As in she wasn't ready to pick up everything for me. A growl threatened at my lips.

"How's it complicated, Blake?" I hissed as a knock on the door sounded. She looked wistfully at me, making me almost flinch at my previous decision. Her brown eyes pleaded me. A knot in my stomach twisted and I slipped around the corner to watch, ready to slip into the closet at any moment.

"It just is," Blake hushed me and pulled open the door. The face that greeted her scared me more than anyone could have guessed. It haunted Blake's nightmares here and there; therefor I couldn't stand that man. It was the source of Blake's problems that compiled on top of her shoulders. I had expected a goon of his, not actually Director Jones himself!

"You," he clenched his chubby jaw, sneering at Blake. A silent hiss sounded out of my mouth. Jones was an ugly fellow who was slightly chubby. I had expected him to be taller, but then again, I was taller than everyone else basically. He wasn't at all intimidating, though Blake sure seemed alarmed. My hands instantly moved to punch him but I somehow found restraint. That was one of the guys Blake slept with. My innocent, sexy Blake had this dick's dick inside of her. I wanted to vomit, I truly did. It was revolting to think that she had to go through such horror.

"You." She returned with a tight, fake smile.

She looked over her shoulder to meet my eyes that you could only see if you knew where to look. Her alight eyes read, 'I had never seen Paul Lahote jealous, but it kind of turned me on.'

"This is your replacement. I'm Director Jones, but just call me Detective Jones," he pushed past her rudely to inspect the living arrangements.

"Yes, because that's so much easier," I mumbled with an eye roll. "Detective Stone it is. Aren't you supposed to be running this thing?" I wished so badly that I could say these things to him.

I sweated bullets as he glanced curiously into Theo's room, the same room where I hid in his closet. "Whose room is this?" he asked.

"Paul's," she responded.

"He keeps such a young style room. I do love the posters. Pleasurable." I could have kicked Theo's hind end right now. He was supposed to take away any pictures or traces of himself. I supposed he thought a grown man still kept pictures of basically naked girls strewn against hot cars.

"It…keeps him busy," Blake shrugged. "There a problem?" I swear I thought I saw Jones gulp. He shook his head and lent into Blake's ear to whisper.

"I'm sure you miss somebody older, with a little class, don't you?" Jones's voice gave her the chills. She shuddered and 'accidentally' stumbled back. She definitely did not miss him. My hands itched to choke the man out, but that would only make things more complicated. Still, if she asked me, I'd definitely beat the living crap out of him with no regrets.

She stopped following Jones, stumbled to my side in the closet, and pressed her hands cautiously to my chest. A growl ripped its way up my throat, a true animal growl. "If he touches you one more time…" I couldn't finish the sentence. The idea of that foul man ever even thinking of Blake that way again made me want to rip his head off. Blake was off limits.

"You are mine," she assured me, pressing her lips lightly against my cheek. "Only mine. And I'm only yours. He can't do anything to me if you are here. Trust me, Paul." I looked bewildered but nodded. Blake breathed a sigh of relief. I hooked an arm around her waist, kissed her forehead, and pushed her down the hall to the master bedroom. Jones inspected it, as if there had been a previously dead body here. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

"Yes," he snipped, spinning to look at her with distaste. "The mattress seems…dirty. Who's slept in it?" That was a prefect set up.

Honestly, I think she would have spoken even without my silent pleading. "Oh no, that one is much cleaner than the last. We had to buy a new one after a couple rounds. We didn't do as much on this one," she sent the man a wink so he'd understand what she hinted at. Jones's eyes turned to slits as he remembered his orders. I relaxed a bit knowing he understood our grounds.

"I see you took the plans numerous times," he noted.

"I only kept him stringing along until he became of no use. I have been too busy to remove the things from his room," she lied with ease. Director nodded a little unsettled. Blake frowned. "Director, I'll be in Paul's room for the night. After that, I'll be gone the rest of the week so the house is yours. Make yourself at home." I could feel the strain speaking those words put on her, but I was proud she could get over her pride, unlike me.

He mumbled self-pitying comments while she shuffled down the hall. Once inside the closed room, she smacked me upside the head. "What was that for?" I scoffed. I was already in a sour mood with _him_ being here. I didn't need another problem on my plate.

"For ignoring the fuck out of me for the past month," Blake's bottom lip protruded. I sighed. I supposed you could call it ignoring, but I only kept my distance. The more we were together, the more enticing her smell became, the more beautiful her body looked, the more sparkle her eyes contained. Everything became harder to resist. It was just so much easier to minimize my time around her even if it hurt to do so, but I never stopped to think about what she felt.

"I'm sorry," I bit my lip. She was the only person who could get me to say that so often. It annoyed me slightly. "Now about this hiking thing…"

"You can't just change the subject. Why did you ignore me, Fucker?" That was a new name for me. I had to say, 'Lahore' sounded better. She shoved her hands against my chest. Letting her get the dramatics out, I stumbled back a bit purposely.

"I…" It was hard to form one straight explanation. She cocked out her hand on her hip. That was never a good sign. Blake had a cute expression, especially when she was mad. Her black hair that would fall in front of her eyes complimented her wide set face, and she'd pretend to not notice while her nose scrunched up in frustration.

"Hmm?" she said. I didn't know what else to do so, naturally, I kissed her. I pulled her body to mine as she melted under my touch. Her lips were so inviting after weeks of separation. Blake never lost her touch. She moaned into the kiss. It had been so long I couldn't blame her. As if it would have killed her not to, Blake jumped and wrapped her legs around my waist. I shoved her back into the wall and went with her.

Ever so slightly, she opened her lips asking for entrance. As my tongue ran along her puffy lips, her hands ran through my hair. I had forgotten how good it felt to kiss Blake. She was so daring as she took my lower lips between her two and bit it. Unlike any other girl, she knew what she was doing with full confidence. As she broke away, I kissed up and down her neck, conveying how hard it was to keep my distance. I sucked at her sweet spot, creating a moan, which then gave me such a thrill I groaned and spun until we found the bed. Somehow, I managed not to rip off her clothes by falling to my back beside her.

"Apology accepted," she panted, a hand pressed to her chest. Her heart beat faster and faster as I continued to stare at her. She was so damn beautiful. "What?"

"I'm going with you," I decided and propped myself up by my elbow with a smirk. Her face sagged. It may have made her unhappy, but there was no way I trusted Theo, a child, up there, with her. In fact, I worried Theo himself could be the danger. That kid ran a short fuse when it came to foster parents.

"No, Paul," she whined, "It's a mom-son bonding trip."

"Mom-son, huh?" I mused; a half hearted chuckled rising up. "I didn't know you were thinking of adopting him." Blake's lips turned to a frown.

"Why don't you like it?"

"When you are done here-,"

"Let's just…pretend that factor is cleared," Blake put a fake smile on. She hid something from me, but I felt that whatever it was, it was good. Suspiciously, I raised an eyebrow but let it pass.

"Sure. We are talking about a kid, here, under your constant care. That's more than you'd think," I pointed out but before I could really finish, Blake already looked madder than hell.

"I'm more than capable. I've been doing it already. Why are you so against this, Paul? You love him. Don't you want somebody good for him?" Blake looked honestly shocked that I was against her.

I didn't want to say my real protest of it. Hypothetically in a perfect world, if she adopted him and Blake and I eventually got married…wouldn't he be part mine? I'd be expected to adopt him at the very least. What if social services won't let her adopt him because she'll live with me? What if she dumped me to keep him? I loved Theo like my own brother, but I loved Blake unnaturally more and it killed me to admit that. If he stood in my way of being with her… It would cause problems at the very least.

"Blake…" I did my best to form this in a way that didn't sound like I planned on getting hitched with her. It was obvious that she was oblivious to my utter adoration of her. It was even clearer that she hadn't yet fell head over heels for me. It was okay, but if I implied that we'd someday marry, it could cause some mixed emotions in her. "If we ever broke up…I'm just saying that not many guys will fool with a mom."

"Do you plan on braking up with me?" she instantly blurted, fear in her eyes. Her hand shot to her mouth, clamping it closed with widening eyes. "Uh…I mean, do you?"

"No," I pressed my lips to hers gently. "Never. It's-,"

"_You_ don't, do you?" Blake sighed sadly. "You don't want to fool with a 'mom.'" I could see the disappointment on her face. In normal circumstances, I wouldn't fool with a mom because that added in so many more factors, not to mention the feeling of coming second. Blake here met Theo and me at the same time and if it weren't for the fact that I was rejected Theo's custody, I would have loved the idea. She loved Theo almost like her own, but differently at the same time. I didn't feel second or first when it came to Theo. We were both at the top of her list equally. But our world wasn't perfect, and that wasn't all that mattered.

"Blake," I smirked, "I'd fool with you any way I got you." Blush crept up her face as she let a high-pitched giggle free. Her voice smoothed my nerves. "It doesn't matter though does it? Your mind is set."

"Damn straight," she laughed, scooting closer and wrapping her arms around my chest. I cherished the feeling. I knew she was safe here, even if the evil snake sat in the other room, most likely plotting her downfall. It took all the control I had and then some not to rip him to pieces. I knew that deep down, to get rid of the problem by killing, I'd have to murder the entire FBI squad. Regretfully, I'd do it in a heartbeat if I knew they wanted to kill Blake, but they didn't.

"It's settled then," I grinned and pecked her forehead. "I'll be joining you."

"Paul," she groaned. I gave her the best stern look I could manage to send my girlfriend. It felt odd calling her that. I never had a girlfriend that really looked at the big picture like she did before.

"Blake," I whined, rolling over top of her. She narrowed her eyes as I lightly sent sloppy kisses along her neck just to annoy her. Eventually, she nodded and I pulled away. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Asshole."

"Hothead."

"Man-whore."

"_Slut," _I winked, drawing out the words slowly, a dubious look in my eyes. My hand slid under her back, lower to her ass and squeezed. She giggled and blushed. "You don't dress like a slut, but I bet you could act like one."

"Hmm," she leered. "Maybe for the right price."

"Or," my other hand roamed to her butt as well. "Maybe for the right person." A desperate desire ran across her face as she pressed her lips pleadingly to mine. I kissed her back enthusiastically until a certain noise interrupted my thoughts. Trying to ignore it, I focused on Blake's tongue and how it felt roaming across my chest. There it was again.

"Such a damn tease," Blake groaned when she noticed my uninterested stance. I kissed her cheek but stood and listened hard to make sure I was correct. Then I doubled over laughing. I laughed so much it hurt. "What's so funny?"

"Your hotshot boss over there is jerking off," I had trouble forming words. Of course he would need to. He finally saw my sexy Blake in person after months and realized how little sex he had had and how amazing Blake was. I could only blame him if he was thinking of Blake, the girl he had seen fully naked yet I had, sadly, not. "I'll pay you twenty bucks if you go walk in on him!" She grew a dubious look and stepped into my arms.

"…I'll do it if I can give you a blowjob this week," Blake's eyes licked up and down my body. Her hand quickly slid down my chest to my pants, gripping my package. My laughter cut off suddenly. How often did she think of sex? I really started loving her then. It was a win mainly for me, but I wasn't pointing that out.

"I hate negotiating with that," I admitted and lent to whisper in her ear, "but I was going to ask you for that anyways."

"You suck," she giggled, shoving my shoulder and sadly removing her hand.

"I believe that's your job," I shoved her towards the door while continuing to slap her ass, for which I was awarded several dirty looks. That never got old. I listened grinning as the door opened. Her gasp seemed forced through her laughter. She claimed to be offering to find new sheets.

"You definitely need some now," she mumbled and apologized before running out of the room. What she didn't hear was his finish that came only seconds later. I never thought of him using her as his finishing image. That disgusted me. Blake dashed giggling into the room and I picked her up in my arms. "That was _awesome_!"

"We are a pretty good team, aren't we, Blake?" I winked, falling back on the bed. She pecked my cheek and laughed.

"I love it when you say my name," she sighed. I had never seen her so relaxed without a beer in her hands. It was soothing. "I'm going to get ready for bed. It looks like there's nowhere else to change but here. Whoops!" Blake shimmied out of her pants to reveal a lacy black thong. When she turned around, I groaned. She was too sexy. I _needed _her soon. She was mine. I wanted her all the way.

And I intended on getting it. I just had to make her say 'I love you' before I resorted to giving up with the plan entirely.

* * *

><p>AN: I give up trying to understand how reviews go from seven to two lol. I Have to say it's kinda amusing. Well I hope everyone has a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Okay let's cross our fingers and hope this (amazing) author of this (popular) story gets a New Years kiss... Okay okay stop laughing. Seriously though everyone have a great start to the new year! :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. SM owns all.**

* * *

><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

_"It's a great day!" _I bounded through the woods with newfound energy. "_No leeches. No more ignoring Blake! Wooh!"_

"_Take a damn chill pill_," Leah thought hostilely.

_"Just because you two aren't best friends doesn't mean you need to hate Blake_," Jared snorted. I agreed with him.

"_Blake is one of the hot chicks who hangs with the guys. Don't take it personally_," I gloated with a cheesy, wolfish grin. Everything was amazing. Today we went for the hike right after patrol. It would only be the three of us out in the wilderness alone.

"_So you admit that you're dating 'one of the guys,' therefore, dating a guy?" _Jared chortled. I ignored him.

"_He's too happy_," Leah complained as she made her way to her house.

"_Blame it on Blake. She gave him a damn blowjob last night_," Jared snickered. Damn right she did. It had to have been the best blowjob I ever received.

"_I'm not joking. Even if she wasn't my imprint, she was fucking hot. Blake's got true talent in bed. You should see this technique she uses_-," I got cut off by Leah's barfing. That ruined the mood. Finally she left Jared and me alone and I didn't have to hide my 'guy thoughts,' as Leah called them.

"_You fucking suck. Kim won't do any of that on her period. I go an entire week without anything," _Jared complained. Wimp. I racked up a total of a couple months going dry. It actually wasn't as bad as I expected, mainly because Blake's ass was always there to look at. "_You know, she won't even do a blow job. 'Say's it's slutty."_

_"It's fine to be slutty in front of your imprint," _I argued. To me, having an imprint felt like having a permanent engagement. In bed at the very least, I felt like we could act like we were married. For an example, Kim _was_ dead set on waiting for marriage before having sex but when she met Jared, it obviously changed.

She said and I quote, "I'll be with him forever. I don't have to worry that he'll leave or that I'll get pregnant without him there. I don't have to let down my husband by not giving him my virtue because Jared is my husband just a few years short."

I kind of went by that as well. If my wife _weren't_ slutty with me, I'd have a problem. "_Tell Kim that," _Jared scoffed. "_I can't really complain. Her sex is good enough."_

_"Sex," _I sighed wistfully. I used to know what that felt like. "_You get my plan right? Nobody else does."_

_"Yeah, I think it's good you are trying to help her. If she truly believes sex is something to use without emotions then I'd do the same." _Jared had helped me create the plan a while ago. I still believed fully in the plan but I didn't know how to tell when her opinion changed. "_You can tell when she asks for sex with you in particular."_

_"Yes, because she hasn't already asked for that," _I rolled my eyes at his joke. She already begged for sex. She even had a dream about it a while ago when she woke up in tears. Jared ran into me suddenly, sending me flying over a hill. "_What the fuck?"_

I jumped back up the hill, racing to tackle him. "_Idiot! If she had a fucking dream and then didn't go to a bar and sleep with somebody, she is ready!"_

_"Girls don't normally do that-,"_

_"You said she stopped herself from sleeping with you for her job. It's been a month and she hasn't tried anything. She is ready!"_

_"She hasn't fallen in love yet," _I protested. In the beginning, that was our requirement; she had to openly admit to loving me. Apparently, that changed. I noticed vaguely that Theo phased in, probably to drag me back home.

"_Neither have you." _Jared spat_. _I locked my paws in place, skidding to a stop. I hadn't told her, had I? I loved her so damn much but had yet to tell Blake. "_I tell Kim every chance I get."_

_"Yeah, yeah, shut up,"_ I growled, pacing back and forth. Would I come on too strong? Even though we had been dating a good two months, I felt like Blake would still be overwhelmed by the words, especially if she didn't reciprocate. She was the enemy. How would she feel hearing that her target was claiming to be in love with her?

"_She'll freak out," _Theo scoffed. We began to yell for him to shut up but he didn't. "_Blake grew up without family. I still can't believe she told Paul that she loved me, but if I had told her that she'd start to hyperventilate. She's not used to being loved. Only by her mom and now she's even ignoring her."_

Regretfully, I understood his thinking. No matter when I told her, she'd freak out. It was inevitable. "_With that," _Theo grinned about our upcoming plans, "_We've got to go. See you later, Jared."_

_"Have fun kiddo," _Jared mumbled as Sam phased in to replace me. When we got close enough to my house, we shifted and got dressed, my once jubilant mood struck down a bit. Even though I loved sex more than food itself, I knew having sex with Blake would only complicate things. Instead, I stopped thinking for the moment and glanced to Theo.

"How's it going with Joy?" I asked, yanking up my shorts.

"Unchanged," Theo had a smile on his lips. "Which is awesome. Maybe I didn't imprint on her, but I love her just the same. She's great." I smiled warmly and didn't want to point out the precautions Leah's been burning into his mind. It was no secret that everyone in the pack was reluctant to create a real relationship if they haven't imprinted. Theo never heeded our warning but so far it's only been good. Leah has forever more given him the cold shoulder. Since he admitted he was smitten for her, she couldn't help but thinking of Sam's previous love claims for Leah that ended in one glance.

"Joy does know how to cook," I admitted, walking beside him out of the forest. Blake stood at the back of the truck waiting for us. "Have you two done it yet? Her dad's strict so…?"

"Yeah," Theo grinned like a wild man. I clamped my hand on his shoulder approvingly. It was his first time and I had to say, I couldn't have felt more proud over him. He normally could hide his thoughts pretty well during patrol so I had to bug it out of him. "I've got to say, it wasn't as awkward as your first time."

"It was her first one as well?" I gaped. It was always best for him to do it with a virgin for his first time, but I never expected the day would finally come. He was growing up on us. If he kept it from being awkward, well that was better than me.

"What are you two looking so shocked about?" Blake smiled and closed the garage. I met eyes with Theo, who only groaned. He knew I had to tell her. I needed to rejoice with somebody over his manhood transformation.

"Theo got laid, Blake!" I hollered, picking her up over my shoulder. She shrieked and laughed happily.

"Theo!" she beamed as I opened the door and tossed her into the middle seat. "When?" He reluctantly climbed in beside Blake.

"Guys, this isn't that big of a deal," Theo blushed and forced a stern look on his face. As I pulled out of the driveway, I met eyes with Blake and we both teamed up to ruffle his hair. "Okay, okay! It was Saturday."

"Where?" Blake sounded like a little high school girl again. She had a huge smile, as if her problems disappeared with this trip. Even though our end – either the wolves, her job, or our love - loomed closer every second, I was glad she could keep the heavy topics away for our last final memories together before things became hectic.

"The beach," he sighed and we both groaned, shaking his shoulders.

"Theo, if you were so desperate, you could have just told me to move out for the night," Blake said in sympathy. "The beach isn't as glamorous as it sounds. The sand alone-!"

"Gross, we get it," Theo's face turned a little green at the mental image and I snickered. He then pouted and turned his back on us.

"Aw, look at him," I whispered to Blake while laughing. "He's going through his 'angry' phase."

"Should I ground him?" she teased, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "_Theo, what have I told you? Sex before marriage is prohibited!" _We both burst into laughter and eventually, Theo joined in after making a few other jabs. The ride to the hiking spot ended quickly after and we all loaded up our packs. Blake took on too much but she refused to let me carry more. In all honesty, I supposed I did have a lot for a human, but it felt like nothing with my strength. Theo as well had a lot. To think it was only one night and two days.

Then we began our trek.

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

"_It's just a little snake, babe_," Paul mocked my high-pitched voice. Theo and I glanced to each other, amused, and continued walking while Paul nursed his wounds. "_Garden snakes are harmless." _They were. I saw the little fella in front of us and picked it up. It slithered in my grasp and I instantly adored it. It was only as big as a twig. To tie my shoe, I handed it off to Paul, who then lost my pet! Of course, it bit him – ouch – and he screamed in surprise.

"You aren't going to die. I don't even see a mark. It was a baby, just like you," I shoved his large body forward. Nature and Paul normally got along until you factored in the fact that he tried to impress me at every turn. Sure, on the things he accomplished he looked hot, but eight out of ten times, he failed miserably.

I knew exactly why he wanted to impress me. Last night had been something. Theo had stayed in his basement on his Xbox, the same one he pleaded for me to get, and I figured I could pay up on my previous dare.

Now Paul thought he was all 'macho.' I hated to state it, but Theo, who lugged the water cooler, did a better job at that than him in the wilderness. Still, I never brought it up.

The chilly air soon turned frigid and I pulled on the jacket after reprimanding Paul for not bringing more than a hoodie. I forced Theo to wear more but he wasn't happy, as if the idea of getting hypothermia pleased him. When Theo seemed satisfied, we set up camp for the night. With their help, it was quick and under five minutes. Meanwhile, I built a beautiful fire, with the help of Theo. Somebody studied up on his homework. He and I built one without the use of a starter or lighter.

"Blake, hand me a log," Paul asked. I bent over, tired from squatting for a good five minutes and handed him the log. "Another?" I groaned and did as asked. "One more."

"Get your own damn wood," I growled and threw this one at him, but he caught it.

"I'm pretty sure he gets that every morning, Blake," Theo smacked Paul upside the head and I finally stood back up and turned my head around to find Paul's eyes on my ass. I groaned and tossed him another log, which landed in his stomach with a moan.

Once things got going, we lied under the stars, cuddled up in our hoodies. Near the fire, it didn't get too cold, especially when I was squished between two furnaces. If it weren't for my toes, I'd have taken off my coat from the heat.

"What were your first memories?" Theo mused aloud. That was an easy one for me.

"I fell on my bike," I closed my eyes at the memory. Young memories never settled well on my stomach, good or bad.

"Daddy kissed the wound?" It slipped out of Theo's mouth in a teasing way before he remembered. I had the crack dad.

"Actually, he poured vodka on it. I suppose that was close enough," I smirked, nudging him. He laughed in chagrin at being stupid enough to comment.

"My dad and I tried to bake a birthday cake for my birthday," Paul said with a hearty laugh. Unlike mine, a warm feeling coated his words. "We nearly burnt the kitchen down. I sat in the corner, covering in blue icing, licking myself while he ran mad to find a fire extinguisher." I rolled on my side and stared at his side, chuckling and expecting more. Theo did the same. His story was much better than mine. He had a relatively good childhood, I reminded myself. It made sense he had funny stories.

It was odd. He understood Theo and me so well you'd think he would have had to grow up in foster care as well. His parents divorced, but that was all that I knew affected him. He had two parents to hold him to this earth, to keep him bounded. The feeling of loneliness wasn't a rarity for me, but it wasn't welcomed. I only had a select few memories from my spell with my parents and even those had faded with time. I had gotten over my childhood long ago, but now these feelings affected me for a different reason. I was envious of him, of a child of divorce. Sometimes, they had it as hard as us, especially if I didn't know the entirety of it.

"What?" Paul turned his head. I blushed and rolled back over.

"Got any other stories?"

"Sure," he chuckled. "My senior prank was pretty interesting."

"…No," I decided.

"Some from when you were young," Theo finished for me. Maybe we didn't have the memories, but I sure planned on knowing the normal, goofy ones most kids had. Paul gave us both weird looks before beginning one. That was how our night consisted of.

Coldness didn't suit me well in mornings. Mornings with fish to eat only made it worse. That's what mine consisted of though.

My nose was probably going to fall off. The temperature obviously took a turn for the worse or we wouldn't have stopped in the middle of our hike so I could warm up a bit. Of course, the two suns didn't have a problem. They offered to carry me. Paul, of course, used the excuse to get me naked so I'd 'warm up faster.' I politely declined. Never doubting their strength, I couldn't force myself to pick up my pride and be _carried _down the hill.

"Did you not check the weather, Princess?" Paul snorted as he tended the fire. Theo had an arm around my shoulders doing his best to use his body heat to bring some life back into mine. It helped more than the fire, but I didn't feel compelled to tell Paul that. If he thought I was incompetent, he could waste time doing nothing except giving me a good view of his ass.

"T-Theo's job," I huffed. It wasn't my idea to stop. Paul basically forced me down. Theo didn't have a problem with spending more time in the wilderness. He seemed to have had the best trip of his life, even if it was his first. The smile on his face barely went away, only in times like this.

We both looked up at Theo, who immediately turned tomato red. I groaned and pressed my nose into his burning arm. I swear, any colder and I'd hear my skin sizzle against his. "Idiot," Paul grumbled and searched the pack for another blanket. "There's none left."

"Then we better get the f-fuck off this mountain before night," I stood at the speed of a grandma, and my hands trembled like one as well. Finally, they agreed and we got moving again. Sadly, our setback did somehow affect us. The plan was to go up to the very top of the mountain then on the other side we'd have a straight stretch down through the trees. It would be a steep climb but much less time than going back the way we came, which was up a different mountain, down that one, and then up the one we were on. By the time we managed to get to the peak of our last mountain, it began raining, which turned to snow just as quickly as it appeared.

"Paul," Theo warned, his voice wavering. They met eyes and sent a silent message to the other. Biting my lip, I knew it was bad news that they wouldn't tell me. Curiosity got the best of me and I craned my neck to listen. "Blake, can you grab us something to eat?" It was a distraction plan. Still, I wanted for Theo to love this trip as much as I loved him. If it meant ignoring the voice screaming at me to spy like I was born to do, then so be it.

By the time I had rustled through the pack and found six apples, they were done with their conversation. The snow whipped inside my jacket by then and I worried my small boobs would shrink further. Giggling, I looked between the two. Their expressions were serious. I asked, "What?"

"The storm is coming from all sides. Our best bet is going as far down the mountain as we can before night comes. I'm so sorry, Blake," Theo gulped, a look of guilt in his eyes and posture. He looked almost scared to touch me. I wished he or Paul would. Though I couldn't grasp why, they both brought warmth into my body.

"Our best bet at what?" I asked even though I knew the answer. I knew the answer since our lunch break. There was no way I could keep going like this. My toes long ago stopped tingling from the cold because I could no longer feel them well enough. I gave them ten more minutes and I wouldn't be able to feel them at all.

"Keeping you warm enough to sleep," Theo laughed humorlessly to keep the situation less bleak, but I got the meaning. Though it sounded dramatic, we truly weren't ready for this weather. The thickest coat we had consisted of a heavy trench coat with a broken zipper.

With Paul falling behind in his anger, we continued our ever-lasting hike.

* * *

><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

I feigned to be upset, something that I internally was, but I was more focused on the plan. It was no use to simply get angry at this troubling news. I had to do something.

Maybe that was the difference between the old Paul and the new one. Old Paul would have gotten so angry he would've phased and never would have thought of the ingenious plan. _I_ learned to keep my cool. Blake taught me that, surprise-surprise. I had to protect her with my life. There could be no room for failure. Keeping that in mind, I found out that just being angry didn't save her. I had to buckle down and _think. _Be productive even in the harder times. Imprinting taught me that. I understood finally what imprinting had to offer on my side other than finding a mate. I found myself.

"_Paul, you are _so _deep," _Leah mocked inside my head with a squealing tone. I scoffed and waited impatiently for Jared and Jake to get their asses up the hill. "_Why are you even up there?"_

_"Theo and Blake wanted a vacation. Damn good thing I came too," _I snorted. When we figured out there was no time to get her back without exposing our secret, something neither of us trusted her with despite our growing feelings, I told Jared and Jake to bring us a camping pack, one that we had lying around the reservation in nearly every house. They would place it in the spot we were to camp out in and we would stumble upon it, kissing the ground at our luck.

_"Isn't your world supposed to be ending? By the end of your trip, one of you could be in hand cuffs if that detective is worth squat,"_ Leah forced her emotions away, but I could sense she began hating Blake. If they weren't going to be friends, she wanted the girl out. Granted, Blake was trying to reveal our secret to the world. There were nights that I hated Blake as well.

"_You two are idiots," _Jake snorted as his paws scrunched under the white snow. I sighed. He and Jared just finished placing the gear. Blake would live through the night with her toes! "_She's not trying to expose any of us, not even the Cullen's."_

_"That's her job," _Jared shoved her shoulder as they raced back to patrol.

"_It's her job, but she's not sticking to it. She didn't tell about Theo. None of us has had an interrogation or got followed by her in weeks. She must have done something wrong to get booted for a week," _Jake sneered. I thought hard on what he said but it didn't process for me. She still deceived us at times. She still prodded to find our secret.

"_I respect the girl," _Leah sighed. I grinned. If Leah said something nice of her, I knew she had to have been an awesome catch. Leah never said nice things of a person, let alone truthfully thought nice things of her. "_Still, I'd never trust her with a doll. There's something about her that screams, 'Messed up!'"_

_"Leah," _Jared scolded. I growled and my paws dug into the ground, nails extending. "_I just don't see where you can ever go with her."_

_"I'm telling you, she won over the whole Cullen family of _vampires,_"_ Jake stressed. I held onto his words, hoping for something to sooth Jared's miserable thoughts. "_Blake's going to do something that's going to impact our entire lives and we need complete trust in her."_

_"It's not up to us," _Leah reminded us. "_It's on Paul. If she'd turn in her imprint, then the idea of us being her new family is pitiful."_

Deep down, my heart pounded in my chest and I bared my teeth, wanting to fight the girl who spoke too much truth for me to handle. Leah was right. If I couldn't do everything I could to make her love me with her entire essence, we'd be toast. It wasn't that simple and nobody understood.

I wanted to heal Blake while I also wanted to hook my claws so deep in her that she'd never escape. While I wanted her to be safe and would gladly turn myself in for her, it wasn't that naive. I'd then turn in the rest of my brothers and in the same time get Blake locked up for holding information. That option disappeared.

If I wanted to heal my princess, I needed to wait until she was ready and truly loved me before we had sex, for then I could be assured she didn't just sleep with me for nothing and that she fell for me naturally. Sadly, the plainer answer would be to sleep with her, creating dependence for each other through the imprint side of us, therefor killing her on the inside to give me away to the police.

It was all a matter of time, time that we didn't grasp.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This was a little filler kinda, sorry it couldn't be more. BTW, I'm home! Over my disappearance I did continue to write on my phone but normally when that happens, it sucks. And it did so now I'm not as far as ahead as before but it really doesn't matter.**

**Question: How detailed do you mind? I could change this to an M rated story in the next chapter but if people have problems with that, let me know. **

**I'd love love love for three reviews and one follow/favorite before I update next! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. SM owns it all.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

I could barely sense my fingers. I hated admitting my weakness, but there came a time that it wasn't weakness: I was simply being a human being. So I called out to stop them. Neither felt propelled enough to do so; instead I was swung into Paul's arms while Theo took some of his stuff. Though his body temperature was a scorching 108 degrees Fahrenheit, it didn't help as much as I imagined it would. The clothes blocked off too much heat.

The snow came in heavy sheets by the time I felt Paul stop. Theo hollered with delight and I peeked my head out of the crook of Paul's arm to see. There, up against a rock, was a kit for two tents. It also had a few blankets lying next to it. My teeth chattered or I would have been laughing. Somehow, we were saved by sheer luck. When I said we, I meant me.

I gazed up at Paul, who looked like the weight of the world dropped off his shoulders. He kissed me quickly and it helped for a second with the cold. With the wind and snow blocked off and these two to keep me company, I might just make it, I thought. Theo worked quickly to get a tent set up while Paul sat me on a rock and slid off my boots. The air made me recoil, but his hands covered them quickly. The heat almost stung my foot, but it felt amazing.

"Th-thanks," I muttered to both of them. Thanking people wasn't something I loved doing. It took a lot to get my appreciation. "Why do I get the feeling that if I wasn't here, you'd both have kept on going home?"

"Because that's what we would have done," Paul shrugged and winked at me. I scowled. Now I really felt bad. "But the trip would have been dull. Imagine us spending _more _time together." He made a disgusted face at that and I managed to smile. His jokes were still going strong. Finally, Theo had two tents set up, but it puzzled me. They were so far apart I could barely see the second one. "What's this?"

Theo barked with laughter as he looked between the two of us. Instantly, I gained a red tint to my cheeks. It was as if he looked at lustful teenagers. "I'm just trying to block out…noise." Theo answered, looking pointedly at Paul. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Theo was the adult here. "Besides, I have enough service over there to make a call to Joy. I'll see you two in the morning." Before we could protest, he walked to his tent while pushing it noticeably further away. I lost sight of it soon enough and glanced up at Paul's face, which had a hint of blush on his tan cheeks. It was a miracle to see Paul blushing.

We scrambled inside. The ground under the tent was cold, but much better than being outside. I sat huddled in a corner while Paul fixed up the sleeping bags. He resorted to just folding one under the other for cushioning because of limited space. Also, it was obvious we'd be sharing a tent to save my toes and it would be pointless to have a spare one sitting off to the side. Paul sighed finally and looked expectantly at me for approval. I nodded with a forced smile. My body was freezing. I could barely force myself out of my coat. Noticing my struggle, he rushed over to help. Slowly, we got me into my leggings and tank top, both thin enough to feel his heat with full force. I cringed into him, away from the horrible cold.

"So warm," I muttered as he pulled me onto his lap. Paul wrapped his arms around my body, trying to touch anywhere he could find. My breath came in pants against his skin as my head rested against his shoulder. He was quick enough to pull off his shirt as well and my hands startled him when they ran over his stomach.

"Your freezing," Paul worried. I nodded, closing my eyes, and focusing on the feeling coming back into my hands again. I nodded my head towards the sleeping bags, eager to bring warmth back into my toes as well. I crawled in first and threw off my socks. He squeezed in beside me, the bag bulging from our combined sizes. I curled my feet under his legs and moaned. Prickles of pain shot through me from my toes, but I couldn't force myself to pull away. "I'm so sorr-,"

"Please don't…say that," I muttered, looking upward to find his brown eyes. Even in almost no light, I could see the honey speckle in the corner of his iris. It brought me safety in times like these. "T-talk. More stories."

"Talk?" Paul gulped; like he worried it wasn't productive enough. "You decide, first kiss or high school prank." From the two odd topics, I chose the first, figuring jealousy could keep me awake longer. I liked being against him. If I got this excuse to be next to him, I wanted to be aware for as much of it as I could. "When I was in middle school, Jared and I were the only two guys who ever talked to girls. We would tease them and prank them. This one girl was so quiet, all the time. She was in sixth grade and Jared couldn't stand how she always knew everything. I thought she was gorgeous, mainly because she actually had boobs by seventh grade. So I pulled her under the bleachers in the middle of a basketball game and gave her a choice; kiss me or slap me."

"Slap," I muttered, giggling at his childish ways. He rubbed my arms furiously and chuckled.

"She chose that actually. But I wouldn't let her go. So she kissed me, right on the lips. It was awful and her lips were chapped and I was so sweaty. Still, I jumped for joy and told the entire school. Kim just blushed and refused to talk to anyone about it," he got a distant look, remembering the good ole days.

"Kim?" I laughed. "J…Jared is dating her now." I recalled her trying to be my friend for so long but I always shut her out. I never did well with girl friendships.

"Yes," he laughed again. It sounded carefree and whole. "I was Jared's girlfriend's first kiss and also Sam's ex's first kiss. Leah was my second and that was only because she was the best soccer player on the team. They kind of expected us to date."

"So you played soccer and basketball and had time to date Leah Clearwater?" I scoffed.

"This was all middle school, babe," Paul snorted. "What was your first kiss like?" My heart fluttered at his nickname. He had a few to call me. Babe, baby, and princess were his favorites.

"Awful. I should have seen it coming but honestly…I thought he was gay. So when he got up in my face I didn't think anything of it until he tried eating my face off. Worst of all, he left a string of spit between us. It was traumatizing," I snorted, wrapping my arms around his body. Paul's eyes bore into my face for a long time before he spoke.

"Blake," he said, obviously thinking heavily about something. I gave him time to form the question. When it came, I wasn't prepared for the urgency of it. "Were you in love with the three guys that article talked about?" Those guys bothered him more than he let on. I gulped. It would be hard to explain.

"I was," I nodded, thinking about how to comfort him. It wasn't anything near as intense as the feelings I held for him. "I _thought_ I was until they said those lies to the article. I don't think I have a valid opinion of what love is, but what haunted me more was if they weren't lies, if they honestly felt that way." His face twisted with concern. Every time I looked at Paul, I never worried about him doing that to me. It was the only reason I let our relationship blossom. He'd never do that. I just hoped he believed my intentions were pure. "I almost gave up on the idea of love. Especially after the bonfire."

His face drained of color and my heart beat louder. I wasn't finished. "I-,"

"Paul," I silenced him, squeezing his body harder. "I said almost. But then somebody with enough sense explained to me that you are just a grumpy man who hides his feelings." Relief flooded his face even within the insult. "I have a question for you. Why is it that you never stopped and thought I was using you? Anyone else, especially after reading those articles would, but not you."

Paul's response came quickly, as if he always had the answer near and dear to his heart. "The moment I saw you, you were stubborn and mouthy. I thought you'd annoy me until no end, but then we met eyes. The look you gave me was something nobody else ever gave me, Blake, like I wasn't just the bad boy of the group. I _had_ to know more." Paul's gruff voice came out in whispers. His answer startled me. I thought back to that fateful day where things turned a complete 360.

"I-," I cut myself off. My feelings were getting the best of me. This situation was getting the best of me.

"What?" Paul asked, tilting his head to the side. Absentmindedly, he coiled my hair around his finger over and over. It tugged at my stomach, pushing me to say those perilous words. Feeling him breathing easily next to me in a protective way, watching as he waited patiently, something he only did for me, I realized something, something I needed to say.

"I love you." It came out in a rush. Those three words could be the end of me, of my career, yet I was no longer worried about either of those. I just wanted Paul Lahote to know I loved him with all my heart. I had never been so compelled to express my feelings before. I realized that I never knew what love meant until I gazed into his eyes. I wasn't scared to say those words because every time he smiled at me, love was evident in his beautiful expression. Finally, I knew one hundred percent what it was like to love somebody for them.

His eyebrows shot to his hairline in surprise. Eyes wide, he obviously wasn't prepared to hear that. As his grip on my arm tightened, I knew his emotions were getting the best of him. To my horror, he didn't say anything. Did he not reciprocate? Did his enticing eyes, rough hair, and smooth muscles fool me? In the back of my mind, I didn't care because I _did _love him, whether he did me or not. With rejection on the bridge, I pushed into my heart to make him understand.

"I'm…I'm in love with you, Paul Lahote," I stuttered, my eyes flickering. "I'm sure of it and you can't say I'm not because I am! I know you don't 'fall for girls' but I fell for you and you're just going to have to live with it-."

His confusion washed off his face as another emotion replaced, something I wasn't used to seeing. "Stop, just stop," he reprimanded in a tone that seemed angry, but held something totally different. "Blake, shut up for one second." I stared into his eyes with a defensive look. What kind of response was that? Collecting his thoughts, he opened his mouth.

"Don't-don't say that," he shuddered.

"Say what?"

"Say that I don't fall for girls. I didn't, that's true. And now I don't. It's only because I've already fallen for you, Blake. I've loved you for such a long time and you can't just say I don't fall for people because I already have." My head swam. He was mad because I was defending my opinion? Even in the face of love, we were a mixed up couple. My stomach did summersaults still as my heart rate went off the charts. His hand relaxed a bit, as if he could hear it thumping in my chest.

"You love me?" I repeated, unsure I heard him right, but by the look in his twinkling eyes, I could see it then and there. He loved me. He was in love with me. With no catch, no threats. He loved me.

"I love you." Those three words brought a shaky grin onto my face, and one on his. I snuggled onto his chest, rolling him on his back and sighed. We were in love. It was bad, horrid actually, but it didn't matter anymore because there was no turning back. Love would find a way.

With my emotions over taking me, I strained to kiss him, clambering further up his chest. With giddy realization, I strummed my warmed fingers along his muscled chest and his six-pack. His skin felt so strong and sure under my seemingly fragile fingers. Paul kissed back heatedly, his tongue rolling along my lips. I pulled back and licked my lips, debating if I should bring up the subject. I did.

"I know another way to get warm," biting my lip; I strummed my hands over his chest again, trailing my nails seductively. I saw the fear of being coaxed in his eyes. Before he spoke, I sat up, my legs straddling over his waist, and pulled off my shirt slowly. Feeling the heat of his eyes on my body, I knew what he wanted to do. The last time ended badly, but I wasn't as scared in his presence anymore. I trusted Paul. Though he would be an animal in bed, I knew if I said to stop, he would without hesitation.

Neither of us ever said stop.

I took his hand and pressed it first to my stomach, then slid it upward to my chest. My breath caught in its throat at the sensation. I was surprised because…it felt good. No memories came my way; it was only the spires of energy shooting through me, the need for more.

"Please tell me we need a safe word," Paul growled, as if claiming me as his own. Closing my eyes, I nodded.

"We may need one, but I won't be using it," I breathed deeply as Paul's large hand found its way under my bra, rubbing me roughly. With that courageous statement in the air, Paul howled with delight, a cocky smirk growing on his face. From there, the rest was history...

* * *

><p>Fingers twirled my hair around while the owner stared openly at me. The only sound was our two panting breaths. I couldn't believe we actually had sex. It wasn't anything like I imagined, not from anyone. How could somebody…?<p>

It seemed like hours after our first time together before we could muster up the energy to speak. "Fuck, Blake." Those were Paul's first words. So sincere. Images of his naked body hovering over me flashed before me and I remembered I didn't mind his aggressiveness. He was definitely aggressive in sex and I loved it. Sex with him was something that made me feel like I was in heaven.

"Did I blow your mind?" I grinned, staring up at him. His jaw line clenched and his eyes grew large. Yes. He had a good time. "Good because I don't think I'll ever get enough of that."

"You're a damn sex goddess or something," Paul agreed, his hands resting on my back. He said that yet he did something to me no man ever has. I knew what it was called – eating somebody out – but not even a boyfriend had performed it on me. Paul had tricks up his sleeve, I couldn't wait to figure them out. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his chest. He reached behind him and pulled the previously discarded sleeping bag to us and put in over my back like a blanket. "I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too," I sighed in content. I simply couldn't imagine anything going wrong when I just found something so utterly perfect.

Oh how I was wrong.

LINE

I woke to something hot repeatedly pestering my face. It was an unfamiliar feeling to have. Growing an irritated look, I put my hand onto whatever it was to find a face! My eyes popped open and I realized it was Paul Lahote's lips. Blushing, I smiled sheepishly. "Good morning, Beautiful." Oh damn, I internally moaned, this I could get used to.

"Morning, hotshot," I stretched my arms and instantly froze when I felt warmth against warmth. I was still naked. Though I enjoyed sex with Paul more than any amount imaginable, I never was a comfy person when naked and confused. "Am I-?" It was a dumb question. For his response, Paul kissed me passionately while his hands squeezed my bare ass. Yes, I was naked. No, Paul had no problem with that.

I kissed him back and the cover fell off, sending chills through my body. I pulled away and shivered so Paul rolled us over and hovered over my body, taking me all in. In a slow warning, he lowered his head and kissed me. "What?" I asked. He held back on actually making out.

"Are you sure last night was good for you?" His eyes seemed a little misty, as if he did something bad. He couldn't have because I was with him all night long. Did he not like last night as much as he let on? It took a lot to get me doubting myself and I hated that he was capable just by asking one question.

"It was fucking amazing, I'm not going to lie. Why?" I growled, pressing my elbows into his body to arch up. Suddenly I got the need to make him regret whatever he was about to do. If he even thought about breaking up with me, he'd have to do it looking like a fool with my boobs in his face. My plan was perfect, right?

"Two reasons, Blake. Calm down," he bit his lip, like he didn't want to point it out. I still couldn't force the pulse pounding in my ears to calm. "Look at your thighs. I hurt you and you didn't say a damn thing." Curiously, I glanced down at my thighs in the growing light. There were two large handprints that matched his own.

Two thoughts appeared at that. One: that was so fucking hot! Two, I said. "So you were checking me out this morning?" My smirk grew as relief flooded through me. He didn't intend to break us off if he still checked me out. The words from last night echoed through me. _'I love you. I love you so much.'_

"Blake," Paul groaned.

"Shut up, Paul. You are ruining my high," I shoved his shoulder. He fell lightly to my side, half covering me, half afraid of crushing me with his weight. I laughed at the idea of him hurting me. Wasn't I the one who was working to lock him up?

"High?"

"Yes, Paul Lahote, you are my personal high. I'm addicted to our sex," I giggled. Normally, I wasn't a morning person, but waking up to his face brought a good mood. "I like those marks. I like it rough and I like that you are rough. It's boring otherwise."

"I'm glad you like it," Paul scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish grin, "because, the condom broke." My mouth popped open and made an 'o.' "A lot."

"Let me see," I sighed, shaking my head. He searched the ground. "How...?"

"In my defense, I've never had sex with anyone who's actually let me go all the way in." Paul almost chuckled at that. I glanced to him with a wink before continuing the search. Finally, he held it up.

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed.

"It's not as big as I thought," he defended now in the daylight. It was just a small rip on the side, but it was clear that some semen made its way past it. Some got out. That wasn't what I was surprised at.

"It's a fucking large, isn't it?" I moaned falling back on the makeshift bed. He blushed and shook his head, smirking. "An extra large!? Goddamn, how do you expect me to compete with abs, huge ass arms, and a dick that's a damn extra large?" I glanced between him and the condom hesitantly but then decided I didn't care; I licked it for the taste and it was just as I remembered.

"Blake, focus," he rolled his eyes. I couldn't though. It was a true question.

I glared angrily at him. "It's your fault...wouldn't let me give you a blowjob. That's my expertise!"

"Can we please figure out what we are going to do?"

I sighed and remembered the rip. Glancing nervously at my stomach, I knew there wasn't much we could do unless we hurried home. The sooner we got the pill, the better chances of not impregnating my body. That meant getting dressed and I hated to think of that. "I don't want a kid, not in our position."

"Do you...feel any different?" He asked, pulling me to his side as if to inspect my stomach. The contact left me blushing and I almost lost my train of thought. Damn, last night left me loopy.

"Of course I feel different." I explained. "I was looking forward to that for a fucking long time and it was ten times better than I dreamed of. I feel like I'm walking on water. Please don't tell me-."

"You're glowing? Because you are," Paul groaned, running his hands through his hair. Odd emotion he had to be giving me a compliment, but that was just how Paul worked. "Let's just address the problem when it comes to it. For now, just don't drink."

"You mean you want to keep it?" I asked, shocked. What man his age was willing to have a child? He looked up to me like I was crazy.

"You aren't getting an abortion," he growled, eyes shifting protectively to my stomach.

"It will ruin our lives," I protested but knew he was right. Abortions were never an option to me. It was murder.

"What are you two griping about n-ah!" Theo strut into the tent, sending me jumping head first into the sleeping bag.

"Theo," Paul growled, turning his body to cover my butt. "Bud out."

"We need to go," Theo protested. "Get your horny asses together. Joy is going to be back in town at noon!" Before he left, I heard a smacking sound of skin on skin.

Once I got out, I growled, "Did you just high five him for fucking me?"

"No," Paul smirked, kissing my cheek. "I gave him a high five for getting laid after three damn months...and for fucking his mom."

"Pig," I shoved his shoulder and searched for clothes as the wind whipped at my bare skin. Then I saw them: my panties. "You redefine pig!" I held them high and mighty, the ripped lace underwear that I paid good money for.

"If you think that's bad, you probably shouldn't look for your bra." Again, I sent him glares, noticing the ways his eyes looked up and down my body. "What did you call me before? Oh, that's right. I'm an animal."

By the time we got off the mountain, my toes were numb again. I loved snow. It used to be my enemy, but now I could kiss the ground it fell on. If it weren't for the chilling snow, we wouldn't have had to spend another night in the cold where I had to use Paul's body heat to stay warm, and then we wouldn't have had sex or admitted our love to one another. Snow sure knew how to push people in the right direction.

"Did you have a good trip?" I nudged Theo as Paul drove the car. He grinned.

"It felt nice to get away for a couple days, though I think you enjoyed it more," Theo elbowed me and met eyes with Paul, who sighed loudly and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"My boys," I laughed, hugging them. It couldn't get better. Paul turned into the first grocery store we passed and parked, looking at me expectantly. "Ha, you go, big boy."

"Why me? It's your body."

"My body that has to be protected from you!" I pointed out using as little detail as possible. I didn't want Theo finding out our mistake. With a heavy sigh and a glare at me, Paul ventured inside to buy our item.

Theo glanced between us and laughed internally. "Am I the only smart one?"

"Shut up," I nudged his side with a pout. These boys softened me up enough to pout.

. . .

"What do you mean they are all out? How many people need a morning after pill in January?" I screeched at Paul.

"I'm sorry, Blake, I didn't really ask because she kept giving me stares like I raped a girl. You are coming next time," Paul shook his head and pulled swiftly out of the parking lot. When we made it to the next closest store, I sighed in relief. This one was slightly bigger.

Paul and I stormed in, searching the aisles quickly. Even the possibility of me being impregnated worried the both of us. It wasn't that I didn't want to have Paul's child – and I hated admitting such a weak thing in the first place – but imagine the controversy. Jones would kill me. I'd end up bankrupt for all I knew.

Finally, we found the contraband section and gaped. They had nothing but condoms and pills. There was no plan B. I groaned and stormed up to the counter. "Hey! Where's the morning after pill?" I growled. A man a little older than me turned around.

"Sweetheart, we don't carry that here in Forks. Not enough people forget to use a condom," he said with a cocky edge. My eyes narrowed.

"I used a condom. It ripped," I protested.

"Hmm," his eyes licked up and down my body. I rolled my eyes and waited for it. "That takes skill, doesn't it? Why don't you try that out with a real man so we can see where the rip was." I was disgusted. With my hormones raging, I stormed up to the counter, ready to clip his jaw, when my burly man beat me to it.

"Sad. We already know where it is," Paul's hands gripped the man under the throat.

"It also happens when he has a huge dick, unlike you, you little-," I moved to punch him again, but Paul stuck his arm out, all but choking me to keep my words from escaping.

"You're sure you don't have any, at all?" Paul snarled. He nodded, thoroughly frightened. Paul nearly dragged me to the exit while I turned and stuck my tongue, and middle finger, out at the man. "Come on Blake. It's effective best up to three days. We can go to Port Angles after we get home."

The entire ride back was silent and awkward considering we were both still fuming that we had to go all the way to Port Angles. Even knowing I would definitely get the pill neither of us felt the relief wash through us like I wanted.

When we got back to Paul's house, we were greeted with many familiar faces. At least half his pack had to have been there. We got out asking questions, but nobody would answer. Half looked at me with resent, the other in a pitiful way.

Immediately Leah and Kim took me into their grasp and pulled me inside. If it weren't for Leah's death grip, I'd have fought back. With Paul arguing to Sam and me being toed away, our previous plans soon escaped our memories. Everyone wore grave faces as we passed. Fear that I pushed back ran through me. They both had a seriousness about them that silenced me. Even from inside, I could hear Paul and Theo throwing arguments back to Sam and Jared. At once, they all stopped. Finally, they shoved me down on Paul's desk chair and tossed me a rope.

"Tie up your hands and feet," Leah commanded as Kim searched her bag for something permissible of me to wear.

"What's going on?" I discarded the rope. Neither would answer. I got up and began walking away. They were ruining my mood. Immediately, Leah's hands lifted me over her shoulder and slammed my body into the chair. It hurt.

"Do it."

"Tell me." We had a stare down that lasted forever.

"Gosh darn it," Kim pranced in front of me. "Your partner claims he knows what you haven't told them yet. He plans on taking you away. So-," Leah shoved her shoulder as I processed it all. They wanted it to seem like I was being held hostage. Rage filled me to the bone. Didn't they understand what this all meant?

Before Leah could react, I dashed out the room and down the stairs. Planning on running outside to find Paul, I was surprised when two powerful men blocked my way. As they hefted me into the air, I fought back before realizing that's exactly what they wanted. "Paul!" I screamed in anger. Through the window, I could see him glance back over his shoulder. "Paul, get your ass here now!" Sam stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. In all this rushing, it would have been more comforting to just have Paul by my side at the least, though I'd never let this go through. They couldn't force me to testify. "I won't forgive you for this! Paul!"

That did the trick. He slowly stumbled into the room, Jared and Sam by his side. They looked at him one would look at a child who held valuable information who was a likely tattletale. "Yes?" That was what he said? Of all things...

"You idiot!" I struggled against my captor's hands. Sam waved a hand and they released, just like robots. I vaguely recalled their names to be Embry and Quil, but that didn't matter to me at the moment. "Don't you understand what this will do to you?"

"It's the only solution," Sam said, but his passionate glare wasn't there. Nobody wanted this. "He's designed to sacrifice for you."

"No!" I shouted, jumping to him. I pulled on his hand like a child throwing a tantrum. I supposed I was. "It's not only him either! You all will. Kim, Leah, Jared, Emily! You all knew what was supposed to be going on! I won't let you."

"You have no choice," Paul gulped, glaring at Sam. He and Jared seemed to be arguing. I searched his eyes for some answer. He was sentencing himself to years in prison, maybe more. "It's better than revealing our secret. They'll let up after this."

"No," I shook my head, pounding on his chest. This wasn't how it ended. I knew it. "There's _always_ a third option, Paul!" He looked into my stubborn eyes with disproval. We seemed to have a silent battle. He knew what his decision would tell. If he truly cared for me, he meant those words he said so long ago to console me, meant them then and meant them now. There would be no chance for him to make it up to me if he didn't give the third option a choice. He had to believe. Finally, he sighed and turned to Sam and Jared, who both seemed disturbed.

"What do you suggest?" Paul strained for a better solution. I could see it in his eyes. He knew I had something forming. He was willing to sacrifice anything just for me, and I was honored, but it would be much better to sort it out differently.

"Let me handle it. I know what he really wants," a grimace spread across my lips as I imagined what Jones did at the moment. No doubt my plan I slowly formed would have risks and horrible effects, but it was the only way to keep Paul safe. Some third options were better than others, but they all worked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I need five reviews or three reviews and lots of favorites/follows before I update. This is crazy. I read a story that had 60 reviews for one chapter. I believe every one of you reading this is capable of pressing the keyboard four times to say, "Good." **


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All rights go to SM.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

I didn't bother knocking on my front door. He sat waiting patiently on the couch, as if he had guessed my next move. "I believe you are at a stalemate, darling. Yet you just threw yourself into checkmate," his voice was eerier than I had remembered.

I get stronger walking into my home turf even without Paul at my back. I knew my plan would work. The only downfall was the betrayal I'd have to enforce onto Paul if he ever found out my bluff. I sat neatly compiled in the chair to his side, clearing my throat to gain his attention. "Director, how has your search been?"

"Well, I met some very nice people who told me about a very nice young man living with you. At first, I thought Paul was the young man, but that doesn't seem so. Not only did you lie about Paul being normal, but you also failed to mention your foster son who should be under intense investigation!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I recited my lines just as I'd planned out with Mom over the phone.

"Blake, Blake, Blake, this will be such interesting news lines. Sadly, it may reflect badly on me, but don't think for a second I won't be willing to expose your corruption."

I met his beady eyes with a tired expression, but not a defeated one. "You and I both know what you really want. You've had an obsession over me since I arrived, isn't that right, Davis?" He hated it when I used his first name.

"I'm listening."

"I don't have the time to do it here. That time of the month I'm afraid," I smiled sweetly. His eyes glazed over listening me talk of myself in such personal matters. "Once I resolve things here, you and I can fuck day in and day out. You'll take this offer because you are out of options. I saw the way the council treated you, Davis. One more mistake in your section and you are out. We are more or less in the same position, sir."

Those words felt familiar yet odd coming out of my mouth again. This time around, I knew it was wrong. Last night with Paul, I realized what he meant when he talked of an emotional connection during sex. It no longer was just finding pleasure through common desires. With the right person, you could feel things never imagined before.

"How do I know you will follow through with this, Blake?" He eyed me suspiciously. I was acting like putty in his hands.

"That's the thrill, sir. You simply have to trust me. If you love me so, I'm sure you can manage that much for a lifetime of hot, dirty sex," I spat out the words with too much venom but he batted his eyes easily at them either way. The tables turned. I was in the position to take his king all within a few more moves.

Now I just prayed my secrets stayed safe.

* * *

><p>Every second of every day, my fear shrank by centimeters at a time. It was nail biting, but I finally managed to fall back into a normal schedule, with only a little drawback from Paul. Unlike what everyone expected, we hadn't had sex once since our first time together. We found the suspense also kept things exciting. Every glance had my stomach rolling. My ulterior motives were far darker than suspense.<p>

If I kept more distance between us, there was a better chance I'd spill my secret. Time and time again I was asked by every one of the pack members how I got rid of Jones. Apparently, he had been more of a bother than me, but only because he wasn't fun to mess around with. To them, I had all but abandoned my work. They all acted close to normal around me. Only Paul and Theo had to watch what they did or said.

From what I've come to gather, they had some huge secret. I had heard of there legends and many folks from forks said I wasted my time if I didn't look further into them, but I couldn't bring myself to think so lowly. If this group of boys caused me to actually think on the fantastical side of the world then they had brought me to my lowest point and I was far from ready to admit that.

The best part from having sex with Paul was I got my mom back into my life. Okay, that wasn't the best part obviously but I was extremely grateful for that. She saw things in one way: the past was the past and if things were good now, she was well.

Kim and I sat side by side awkwardly as we watched our boyfriends wrestle on the beach. They had both brought us out here considering they actually had time for us but also felt the need for some bromance. Thus my awkward situation appeared.

"I'm sorry about when we first met," Kim blurted, averting her eyes from Jared. I forced a smile onto my lips. She was overly clingy in the beginning that was for sure. The question was; did she get any better? Quil, Claire, and Seth joined the boys while playing in the cold ocean water.

"It's alright," I said. I had put her annoying features behind me when she explained my situation in the time of Leah's silence. Kim was a weak, frail girl who couldn't stay angry with somebody if she tried. I felt the distant need to protect her. I supposed people were one of two ways: protectors or protected.

"I'm not very good company," she admitted with a blush. Lie. Her and Emily got together quite nicely. It was _me _who was no good at conversations.

I opened my mouth to speak but my eyes caught the attention of a figure sprinting down the beach like his life depended on it. I pushed myself to my feet when I saw who it was. Theo toppled into the dog pile with a worried look on his face. Not noticing me, he explained to Paul and Jared, a look of pure terror on his face.

"I-I was meeting Joy's family and her twin sister arrived. Guys, I imprinted on Johanna!" Theo's expression seemed of absolute horror. The word 'imprint' seemed oddly out of context there. Imprinting meant for an animal to insanely think whomever it awoke next to was its mother. Obviously, he didn't use it like that. If he did, I would have been worried for his sanity.

Both boys' eyes popped out of their heads in shock. Quil and Seth picked up the little six-year-old girl and dashed over. Whatever the news meant, they were surprised by it. Kim, having a sense of understanding, rushed to Theo's side. I scowled and tried to help but only grew confused. Somehow, Kim managed to calm him enough to a sensible state.

"What's going on?" I shoved between Theo and Kim. The way her hand rubbed at his back made me jealous. He was my kid. I should have been the one comforting him, not her, though I felt some sense of respect. Even if she was a weak link, she held some purpose. Some people needed more comfort than others.

"I'll explain later," Paul promised and took Theo by the shoulder, shoving him off towards the woods. Seth went along as well. Jared followed after giving Kim a kiss. I knew it had something to do with their secret and that made me very depressed. It meant there was no chance of me finding out.

Ringing my hands through my hair I sat back on the beach, deflated. Theo had a huge crisis and I couldn't be there to help all because I was a stupid cop. I suddenly found out the cons of this job when I arrived here. There were a lot. Kim plopped down beside me with a nervous grin. "What's so good?"

"I know they are freaking out now, but it is actually a good thing," Kim sighed and glanced to my annoyed expression. "Joy will be heartbroken sadly, but Theo will get over it quickly."

A giggling Claire jumped onto our laps, sending sand all over my clothes. I forced myself not to smile. Kids used to disgust me. Here on LaPush, they seemed mellower. I could almost picture myself having a kid. Almost. They still ruined lives. Stupid Paul got that idea in my mind when he broke the damn condom. "Hello, Claire," I tickled her stomach a little. "Quil."

"Freak," he nodded to me with a smile, glancing worriedly to my hand on Claire's stomach. He thought I was some murderer. I held my hands up in defense.

"What did you do in the mountains?" Claire asked. She was obsessed with our stranded in the mountain stories. She constantly watched horror shows at age six. Claire made me nervous for her safety as she grew.

"We hiked and hiked and sat around a campfire. Then...big, scary ghosts popped out and attacked us!" I said in the best spooky voice I could manage. She shrieked and giggled as I continued to tickle her.

"Yeah, Blake, what did you do in the mountains exactly?" Kim wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively. She was a bold girl at times.

When Claire looked away, I mouthed, "Fucked all night long!" Instantly, Quil and Kim burst into laughter. They teased me on and on after, but I kept reminiscing on the memories and was just fine with it. Then we saw the figure running towards us.

Jared stopped before he sprayed sand everywhere. "Let's go Quil. Sam needs you. Kim, I can take you home and meet you there in an hour," Jared offered. She pouted and Jared whispered something in her ear that made her very excited. That she agreed to. Chuckling, "Blake, can you watch Claire? You are close to your Paul house. He said to hang out there."

"Her?" Quil gaped as if I was a pedophile. That hurt dude.

"Don't worry. I'm not horrible with kids," I lied. Once I had to watch a neighbor's baby and dropped him three times. He was just fine but he'll never get those brain cells back. Poor little guy. Claire was six and I was sure I could handle the girl. "Come on, let's go finger paint." Quil, as angry as could get, promised to save her from me and then ran off. Ouch. I was right there.

Nevertheless, she held my hand as we walked back, humming some song in her head. "You and Pauly married?" she suddenly asked. Kids, they asked the darnest things.

"No," I said.

"Then how did you and him shared a bed in the mountains?" Her grammar was still a little sketchy. Figuring Quil would kill me if I told her it was okay to saddle up with a man before marriage, I created a new response.

"Well," I whispered like it was a secret. "We aren't technically married. Paul and I have something totally different. It's really cool. Do you want to hear?"

"Uh-huh!" She bounced with energy even after walking back to Paul's house. I made up a huge story about our love and how we secretly were married but nobody else knew. It was interesting and kept her busy until I found some paint and paper. "You paint too?"

"Sure..." I said, plunging my hand in the cold liquid. We spent the entire afternoon decorating paper and hanging it up in different places of the house. Paul would be very annoyed, but I didn't care. Claire was too adorable to say no to.

Claire ran in his living room, holding my now covered in paint phone in her hands. "It rang," she giggled. I wiped my hands on my pants and took it from her, holding back any anger. She was little and didn't know any better. Sighing, I wiped off the screen to read the text and immediately groaned.

"_Hope you aren't thinking too much about what's soon to come. Incase you are…" _I barely forced myself to look at the picture. In all honesty, I wanted to gag. The little fella felt so strongly about his little fella. Of course, the message was from Jones. It wasn't the first time he sent nudes, but did he have to start _that _up again? Honestly, did he think pictures turned me on that much? Maybe when I was a horny girl just out of high school, but not when I was an adult.

"What's that?" Claire's shrill voice surprised me. I jumped and nearly fell over backwards from my squatted position. She barely got a glimpse of it, thank goodness, but if she mentioned it to Quil, I'd be dead. So maybe I wasn't the best babysitter…

"N-nothing. Just a gross picture of…cow guts," I shook my head. She immediately shrieked and glared at the phone as hard as her little face could manage.

"Gra-ros!" My nervous sweating calmed at her reaction. I didn't want to ruin another kid's mind.

When they finally came home, we were both covered in paint. Paul, Theo, Quil, and Seth all came back laughing. Not four hours ago they were acting like the end of the world just happened. "Hey guys," I waved, picking up Claire. Both of our clothes were covered in so much paint that it didn't mattered if my messy hands touched her.

"Hey Blake," Quil laughed and stole Claire from me. "She wasn't too much trouble, was she?"

"No, she was great," I smiled.

"Oh..." Quil glanced over his shoulder sheepishly at me. "I was talking to Claire." My mouth dropped and I balled my fist to punch him, but Theo's hands stopped mine.

"He's not worth it," he laughed. Such a cheerful mood.

"What's gotten into you four?" I asked, suspicious. Seth and Theo acted like they were drunk, giddy with some special feature, even though I smelled no liquor on them.

"It's a long story," Seth assured. "Hey, can you cook?"

"Sure?" I glanced to Paul who burst into laughter. My cooking skills were quite limited and he knew that the best. However, I could bake mighty fine. "Why?"

"You have to help me bake brownies for Joy," he pleaded. My eyebrow rose. For Joy? That was Theo's girlfriend.

"Excuse me?" I shoved past his shoulder to wash my hands.

"Can we tell her?" Theo pled. They looked expectantly to Paul who shrugged.

"I met Joy's twin sister, Johanna, and things all changed. She's amazing, Blake. You have to meet her. Her-," Seth cut him off impatiently.

"And he was about to break Joy's heart and dump her for her sister when I stepped in," Seth's cocky smirk appeared. Seth was a senior and a couple years older than Theo, but he still looked like a kid to me. He was just adorable. I loved that little guy. He was also quite charming. "While everyone else scoped out Johanna, I saw Joy alone and went to talk to her. I don't know how Theo likes Johanna more than Joy, but I'm glad he does. I promised to bring her brownies." He said the last line like he promised to save her from a fire it was that big a deal.

My mouth fell open. Not only was this insulting, but hadn't they basically just swapped girls? That seemed a little offensive, especially because they were twins. "Are you kidding me?" I gasped and smacked Theo upside the head. Glancing to the living room, I found that Quil had long since left with Claire to the basement. Good. I couldn't hold back my foul language much longer.

"Boys," I sighed, smiling a fake sweetly smile and inching near them. They glanced to each other when I grabbed them by their ears and threw them to the floor. Paul cracked up. He thought it was funny. I did the same to him. From their sitting positions, they all stared at me like kicked puppies. "Girls are _not _play toys! You can't go switching around from one to the other!"

"Blake, calm down," Seth held up his hands as he slowly rose. "It's complicated. Joy wants to be with me and Johanna with Theo, not the other way around."

"Really? Is that it?" I asked, meeting eyes with all three of them. I couldn't believe Paul let them do this. It was demeaning and wrong. "Even if they fell head over heels for both of you at first glance, Joy will still be heartbroken!"

"What do you mean?" Seth growled, like it was suddenly his job to protect Joy. Theo flinched, pleading me not to say it, but I had to. If Seth was going to take an interest in Joy, he did need to know she had been with somebody else, mainly because I doubted Seth had been with anyone.

"A girl's first time is more emotional than physical, even I knew that. For months after my first time I pined over some crack addict. Switching her around to a new person won't solve that," I pointed out. Seth's eyes narrowed as he slowly turned to look down on Theo.

"You had _sex_ with Joy?" I didn't like the way his body shook. Seth Clearwater never shook like that. I had put that to be Paul's thing. Venom shot out of his mouth from his words. Even with his stance aiming me to think he was about to kill Theo, I felt badly for the kid. Seth looked genuinely hurt by that notion.

"You knew that!" Theo shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Take it outside!" Paul flung open the door and shoved Seth and Theo out. "I'll be back." I waved tiredly and listened as the two yelled comments back and forth. Tempted to take a peek, I forced myself not to. If I saw whatever they kept from me, and I wasn't sure they had their secret out there or not, then guilt would have eaten away at me until I turned them in. In the loophole, if I never found out, there could be no self-reproach.

Theo stormed inside fifteen minutes later. "I _hate _Seth Clearwater!" Paul caught the door before Theo slammed it so hard it would splinter the wood. Theo had a black eye but it seemed to be fading quickly. That was one thing I had to update about at the end of the month. Joy. Okay, I honestly did not mean for that one, I'm just pun-ny.

"Why? Because he schooled your ass?" I stifled my laughter and handed him an ice pack, but he shoved it away. "How did he not know? Don't you guys tell each other every living thing?"

"How did you know that?" Paul asked with a wide grin, like the entire fight was hilarious to him. In all honesty, if Seth hadn't of been so pained, I would have been giggling as well.

"I kind of assumed when Leah asked me how I got the birthmark on my…" I trailed off and shrugged to the left with my head. Another smile from Paul told me he knew exactly what I was talking about. "Then again when Jared _and_ Sam begged me to tell them where I got my 'adorable' dark purple bra with the black lace, even going so far as to describe the pink straps." Paul howled with laughter and didn't even hide his blush. I growled at him and turned back to Theo, who still was on a rage.

"I just don't understand what the big fucking deal is! She'll forget about it when she has sex with him!" Theo continued pacing. I moved to put an arm on his shoulder when Paul suddenly yanked me back, whispering to keep my distance. I stepped politely on his foot and stood in Theo's way. He nearly trampled me before stopping, staring me down. And people wondered _why _I had such a problem disciplining him?

"Who says she's going to have sex with him at all? Let's be honest," I said, "Sue won't tolerate it, and neither will her parents. The only reason you found the time was because I said you were at our house with me."

Theo stared at me coldly, not saying a word. Shudders ran down my body. It wasn't often that I was on the _receiving_ end of a stare like that. His large eyes and rounded out nose weren't intimidating until you saw his jaw line. It slammed into you like a brick thrown through a window would. His sneer was made only more impressive by that feature. With his shaggy hair and thick build, he was a good-looking young boy who appeared years older than reality.

"That's the problem, Blake," Paul sighed. "She'll date him, but there was no telling when he could seal the deal. Until then, Seth will feel inferior to Theo." I couldn't grasp at how sure they both were that girl one would go with boy two and whatnot. It made my head spin, but I was made to deal with many names and numbers. "Let's not forget, Joy will stay dejected that her sister and Theo will be together while she was still pining over her first, even while dating Seth."

I looked at Theo's angry mask. "Now he's going to ruin things with Johanna, the girl I never even spoke to!" I knew there was some solution, but I couldn't place it.

"Have you broken up with Joy?" I asked feeling like the answer was on the tip of my tongue. It was there, but I knew it wouldn't come soon. It was better to just leave things be for the moment until they thought rationally.

"No, Seth won't let me either. He says she's happier now than she will be for a while after," Theo sighed, depressed. That angered me more than I imagined. It was like he suddenly was disgusted by the fact that he dated Joy at all.

"You _loved _Joy not four hours ago, Theo. You little brat, I otta-," I began to scream, whacking him on the head with a wooden spoon lightly. Paul literally lifted me in the air by my armpits, a very uncomfortable position mind you.

"Blake's saying not to until she figures out a plan. Seth won't either. You can talk formally to Johanna, but do _not _make a move. She will just hate that you are cheating on her sist-hey! Blake!" Paul said while physically dragging me kicking and biting down the hall. "Sleepover here, kid."

"Sleepover my ass!" I opened my mouth for a full rant again, but Paul's laughter cut me off and the door banged shut.

"Well, I'd love to sleep over your ass, or on it. Thank you, darling," Paul pressed his lips to mine quickly before I could bite him. He dropped me on the bed and I scrambled to my feet, standing at full height. Still his forehead was at level with my lips. Damn him. "Blake, would you calm down?"

"No!" I yelled, my hand itching to slap him. My blood boiled at the thought of my foster son treating women in such a cruel way. I was no feminist, but I did demand respect of at least my son. "It's like he suddenly has no feelings at all for Joy!"

"It's because he doesn't," Paul sighed, running a hand through his fluffy hair. I growled, daring him to lie to me. "It's a thing we have. A small bit of our secret, if you will. Theo saw Johanna and it was love at first sight, literally. He will have no interest in anyone but her, it's in his genes."

"Ah ha!" I jumped, pointing a finger at him. "So this is all genetic!"

"Shit," Paul cursed and clenched his hand, his arms beginning to shake. "No, fucking – could you stop being all cop for one second Blake?" Though his words felt like a whip across my dignity, I knew he was just full of rage. I took a step back, raising my hands. When he looked up, I worried he'd actually lose control again – and who knew what happened then? All I knew was it was something not worth sticking around for.

"It's not like I can prove it," I retorted back. This type of argument was something I was used to. Paul and I had one at least weekly. He'd get annoyed that we couldn't share things. I'd get angry that things were always so weird around him. He'd be furious for me caring about my job more than him.

Even though it meant the entire slip up was pointless, his anger didn't disperse. "How much longer are we going to do this, Blake?" Paul fell face first onto the bed, his body no longer convulsing. "I feel like I don't know half of you."

"_You _feel like that?" I scoffed. He turned his head and scowled. "I'm serious, Paul. I'm getting bit by bit which only confuses me more. My boyfriend runs off who the hell knows where doing God knows what with people I have no guess of their gender, my foster son tags along with a huge group of body builders, and I'll probably never get my job back, but no! Paul doesn't know _shit _about me - let's stop the presses and write my biography!"

My rant felt good. It relieved a huge weight off my chest. It was all true fact that probably wouldn't be changed anytime soon. I'd carried the mountain of grief for a while and would continue doing it, but I supposed it made it easier to know somebody knew the amount. Paul shook his head into the pillow and groaned.

Finally, he turned onto his back, staring with dead eyes at me and said my most feared words. "Even through all that, though all your patience and words, I _know _you are hiding something detrimental from me. You don't even care enough about my feelings – about our relationship to be honest with me."

It was true. I didn't know how he knew it, but he did. Through the glare he gave me, I could see the words he didn't speak but felt. My mind taunted me. It was too much for the one night.

_For days you have been distant from him, Blake. _

_He'll find out. He'll hate you. _

_Slut. Whore. Bitch._

_You can't trust him enough with a little bluff? Would he really call up the director and tell him? _

More than once, Paul had made me hate myself. I used to think I was one of the better people alive with only a few imperfections. Compared to Paul, I was a peasant relying on lost coins while he was a hero who saved the day and didn't even notice the roaring fans. He had no flaws whereas I had twenty. Simply standing beside him pointed out every one of them. Soon, Paul Lahote would figure out how truly horrible I was, and then I'd really have nothing left to live for when he dumped me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Now that is what I'm talking about! I love those reviews, every one of them! Let's see if we can get five or six more, okay? Of course, with extra follow/favorites, there doesn't need to be as many reviews. Five or six! **

**Question: what do you think's going to happen next? What else could possibly go wrong? **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything guys. Nada. Nothing. Stephenie Meyers owns it all yada, yada, yada, get it through your thick heads.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

Our quarrel from the other night lasted longer than I appreciated. While we were off speaking terms, I decided to do some recon no matter how useless it was. Despite the fact that I had all but stopped giving any information to the FBI, I still looked for their secret. Once I started a puzzle, it was too hard for me to put it down. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know what the nail-biting secret was that every young boy feared on the reservation.

"Are you sure?" I asked Leah. She and Kim took it upon themselves to bring me to a bonfire. Granted, it was after they told their secret legends that were for primarily the people of the elders, but there was food, muscled guys, and elders. The latter one scared me a bit more than the possibility that I may have had to look at a half naked Paul without speaking a word to him. That said a lot for me.

"They don't mind. Some do, but I can rough them up for you," Leah chuckled humorlessly. She didn't laugh whole-heartedly often. That girl could use some booze. As we stumbled along the beach towards Emily's house, I noticed she had her hands clenched.

"Something bothering you?" I nudged her side. Kim, the young girl she was, had the smart idea to disappear at the topic of Leah's mood. They all seemed to do that. She had to live a lonely life. I wondered if anyone knew half of the thoughts running through her mind at any time.

"I'm getting used to it by now," Leah sighed, kicking the sand at her feet. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, right? All in my report?" She scoffed, thinking herself silly to trust me. Those types of people were common in my line of work, but they were the ones just dying for somebody to talk to. More often than not, they broke down before most.

"Actually, no," I shrugged. "It was written that you used to be close to Sam. Nothing after that, though I've suspected." She looked at me wearily. In her eyes were so many things, but above all else, she just looked _exhausted_, like every day was a struggle to get out of bed, all for some unknown reason. "Leah, if you haven't caught on, I have basically switched sides." Saying it aloud didn't bother me as much as I had thought. If somebody had told me I'd be on their side three months ago, I would have punched them. I used to be such a loyal, tempered agent, though that was when my squad had my back through and through.

"It started when Sam, my ex-fiance, dumped me for my cousin. I didn't understand why in all of two hours he decided he had no interest in – anyway, for the longest time I never understood and resented them. When I was let in on the secret, I still hated him for doing what he did to me because the reason everyone is so convinced gave no other option, for me, isn't…" Leah's voice trailed off with confusion. I had guessed something of the sorts was so, but I never expected Leah to be the girl to care. Of course, she had changed since those times. Who knew what she used to be like? Fun? Happy?

"Enough?" I offered. She nodded, closing her eyes.

"Since then, I watched one by one as the rest of the pack fell under the same spell. Jared, Jake, Quil, P-," her eyes cut to mine. They weren't scared but definitely cautious. "Er, Theo, and now my little brother. It's unnerving that some of them never wanted it, that they had lives before then that they got an easy, full distraction from."

I filled in the word for her, "Jealous." Leah's head cut sharply to me, as if daring me to repeat the word. "Leah Clearwater is jealous."

"Shut up, Raine," her hands clenched. She was touchy about her feelings.

"You have reason to be. First, you are told to blame the _thing_ and had to watch as every one of them turned, I guess, into a happier person. Now they all left you behind," I shrugged, almost relating to the idea. My brother left me behind, a brother who was probably dead, my parents truly lead me astray, and then my FBI unit was suing me. Yes, I knew a form of jealousy of those behind. Considering they got relief from the horrible world, I used to wish to be like my mom, like my baby brother, up in heaven and existing with ease. Now a days, it was easy to find happiness here on Earth and I found my envy disappearing hour by hour.

"Yeah?" Leah scowled, like I insulted her. She felt like I judged her and it shocked me. I wasn't a child. I had been through many things and understood when a subject bothered a person to not belittle it. I wasn't doing so, yet she still felt the need to defend herself. I ground my teeth and waited for her comeback. "At least I can admit to the things that have happened to me. I'm not the one pining over something from my elementary years."

"What are you saying?" I stopped, staring her down – up. She was much taller than I, yet I still felt intimidating. Crossing my arms, I witnessed her clench her jaw and hide her shaking hands. Maybe she and I had that in comparison; we were extreme hotheads.

"Don't senseless, Blake. Paul has even connected the dots without knowing more than a few hunches," Leah shoved my shoulder lightly, just enough for me to rock on my feet. I gritted my teeth and fought back the urge to smack her hand away. If she were anything like Paul, it would only hurt me.

"Now you sound senseless," I shouted. In the distance, Emily's house came into view. Kim stopped from her task of picking up seashells and gazed at us. We were in each other's faces by now. I didn't resort to calling her an emotional girl like all the guys did behind her back for one reason; she didn't call me a slut. In almost any fight, I expected people to first make their personal claim over your wrongdoing, and when that failed they'd resort to the other more popular offenses that always struck a bone. It gave me some respect, in a way, saying we could fight like mature adults.

"Senseless…" Leah repeated, a bit of wonder in her voice. "I'm not the fool dating Paul Lahote, now am I? That's an insult to womankind." My mouth flew open. Turning to see Kim's reaction, I was astounded that she wasn't arguing with Leah in the least. Paul Lahote, no matter how infuriating he was, had to have been the best boyfriend there was. A man used to sex everyday committing to no sex for months just to help her morals didn't come around often.

"You _don't_ want to go there," I hissed, staring coldly at her face. I didn't care how stupid this fight started; it was ending in a serious level. "I haven't seen Paul leave me for my own blood. I haven't seen him cheating or killing anyone. So tell me, Leah, how dating Paul is bad?"

Her face grew red with rage. All of her reasonable answers seemed to escape her mouth because she went for the low blow. "It's all fucking fake. He broke up with somebody much sexier than your twelve-year-old body only because he was cast under that damn spell that you still haven't figured out yet! The only reason he stuck around was because he was forced to, Blake!"

Kim and Leah both gasped when the words came out. Leah looked actually guilty before covering her mouth to keep from more escaping. Kim's jaw was to the ground. And me? I'd like to say that I didn't believe a word she said. I really would, but I couldn't. It all made perfect sense to me. Why would he choose me at random to buck up for? Whatever their secret was, it forced him to stay by my side.

There was that word again. _Forced._ To me, there was no influence powerful enough to force a person to stay with another, but it seemed very possible considering Paul's background. I only allowed the agony to rip across my features for five long seconds. It hurt my heart to beat, my lungs to breathe, but it also hurt that somebody would insult our relationship. I reminded myself that for whatever reason he stayed, and he was happy by my side now, right? Either way, a bystander with no firsthand views couldn't insult a seemingly bumpy yet beautiful relationship without getting her face pounded in.

"She didn't mean that," Kim stepped forward, but my stare made her cower away. Possible betrayal filled my eyes. Loneliness could really transform a person, but betrayal shown in every feature I had.

Without another word, I threw myself at Leah. If I wasn't so good at punching, I wouldn't have recognized the pain lancing up my hand with all the adrenaline pumping through me. It wasn't broken - I hoped – so I kept going. Leah stumbled back in surprise but quickly tried to pin me. She would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for the many voices calling her name. Distracted, she glared up and I took the chance to elbow her cheekbone and roll away.

Still in shock that I had that much energy – as most people were – Leah didn't see my tackle coming. I threw my body into a fall, my elbow coming down right on her chest. That sent us tumbling down the dunes and we found each other by the water. I struggled for gain while she doused my head under the waves. Holding my breath only helped for so long; consequently I used my short legs to my advantage and kicked up as hard as I could, right between her thighs.

Sure she wasn't a guy, but if I could hit the exact spot with my big toe, it could hurt like hell. With a loud groan, Leah fell on top of me, clutching her vagina. I rolled on top and pinned her, my arm against her throat. If she wasn't in so much pain, she would have easily threw me off. "Take it back bitch!" I spat in her face.

In the back of my mind, I could recognize hearing Kim's wails of fear slowly being droned out by the shouts of men that were quite frightening. Were they talking to me?

"Are you crazy?"

"You'll kill her!"

"_I'll _kill her!"

I recognized that last voice and cringed. Right now especially I didn't want to meet up with my boyfriend despite my utter devotion to him being strong enough to get me in a fistfight. So much for being mature, Leah!

Noticing them as well, Leah decided to do less brutal damage and settled for pinching and scratching. Her nails raked down my cheek as I refused to scream. Then she broke the supreme girl code and gave me a nipple twist. Boy, I could have killed her. And I think I began to do so because I clutched her throat and rolled further into the ocean, just enough for her head to be under constantly while I struggled to keep my balance over her body.

Kicking and screaming, I was pulled free from Leah and the ocean by warm hands that used to comfort me but only fueled the fire raging inside my body now. I was vaguely aware of my mouth running like a locomotive, a stream of curses being its favorite topic. It wasn't like I paid attention. All I could think was how much I wished I could have finished fighting her, not drowning Leah, but just fighting her. I hadn't seen a fight since before my arrival in LaPush and it was such a stress reliever. I remembered why I constantly got in fights in school now.

"-started it!" Kim whimpered, cowering into the side of Jared. I didn't hear whom she said did, but I didn't care. I deflated when the pain in my hand made a reoccurrence. By the time I managed to look behind me past the two bulky shoulders, Leah was long gone. Paul seemed to be sprinting to the trees. The idea that he wasn't here to explain what the hell these idiots were telling me made me sad. My hand hurt like shit and I was fed up with the talking. I honestly couldn't recall a word.

"Ow!" I shrieked when Sam grabbed my hand. Yanking it away, I let a whimper escape before snapping my mouth shut. Breaking my hand wouldn't be painful enough, right? No, dislocating the sucker was much more enjoyable.

"Paul, she's hurt!" Sam yelled in his gruff voice. Hopefulness was obvious in his words.

"Glad my pain can bring you com-stop touching it!" With my good hand, I smacked away Jake's curious ones. Guess what else also hurt? No, hurt wasn't descriptive enough. My nipple felt like it was bursting to flames, like just that one little section was made of pure oil. I wanted desperately to rub it but couldn't force myself to with all the guys around. I had nearly lost the fight and then to rub my boob? It wasn't a possibility.

Cutting off my self-pitying thoughts, Paul suddenly appeared in front of my face. I blinked in surprise as his hands ran down my body in a health check. His eyes searched every inch of me until they located my hand, my neck, and – as if he had x-ray vision – my chest. "Blake…" he breathed with concern, any hint of a grudge from our previous fight gone. "You aren't okay. Does it hurt?"

"Forget that," I tried to wave my hand but… "Why did you pull me away? I was winning!"

"You were both out for blood," Embry pointed out.

"Nobody likes you," I stuck out my tongue. Tonight seemed to be a very childish night to own and I really relinquished the opportunities to act like a regular high schooler again, fighting over boys and whatnot.

"I'm going to kill her," Paul kept repeating. "I will rip her to pieces for this. She's too damn strong to be messing with anyone, let alone Blake!" None of the guys even stopped him. He was serious. Did they not understand that?

"What the fuck is wrong with you idiots!" I shouted from within the captivation of Paul's arms. I felt like he wouldn't suddenly become a cold-hearted killer if he kept in close contact. "Paul, you aren't killing Leah! Are you insane?"

"She hurt you. She pays," his growl startled me. Kim's weeping grew harder.

"Sam!"

"She directly disobeyed our sacred law," Sam gulped and I swore I saw more moisture in his eyes than before. Was the remorse or regret in his voice? "I can't control Paul."

"Then I guess I will," I shoved away from him. He looked at me, a hard, murderous stare ready to replace the look of concern on his face at a moment's notice. I raised his stare with my own personal look. "This," I motioned to my hand. "It's nothing." I closed my eyes and, with a scream of pain, popped my wrist back into place, cradling it close to my chest. I had done that before but it never failed to hurt ten times worse each dislocation. "Could somebody please explain why the hell you aren't doing something?"

"Because they know I'm right. She's ten times your size, power, and speed," Paul sneered, eyes glued to my wrist, expecting it to explode any second. "I'll be back." I knew I had to distract him somehow, but it evaded me. I had some news of my own. Maybe it was best he was mad all at once.

"Wait," I begged. He turned just barely. "Paul!" I cried, my voice choking. Again, he spun, growing a pained expression, as if one side of his brain fought the other. "Please." I didn't know what made him do it, but he stayed. As if reading my mind, he motioned away the other guys, but not before snagging Jared.

"Go get Leah," he growled, casting his eyes back to me. I sighed deeply. "Make her pay for it." Jared never took orders from just about anyone, but he listened to Paul. I was glad Jared was sent. He wouldn't go crazy like Theo would have. Jared still looked pissed, like only Kim had calmed him. I supposed he and I were closer than some of them, mainly from Paul dragging Jared to my place to hang out.

Everyone else trudged back to Emily's yard where the fire still blazed. Sam said, "Five minutes, Paul." Paul nodded. For some reason, everyone listened to Sam. It was like Sam knew my information was going to bring anger over Paul. Five minutes didn't seem short enough to me, but he did deserve some trust. Maybe he wouldn't flip out and kill me…

Taking one look over my shoulder, I couldn't stand the sight of the bits of blood that came off Leah's nails in the sand. Stomach turning, I walked closer to the house, standing on the rocks as the waves cashed loudly further out. Paul followed quietly, waiting for dreadful news. Without looking at him, I said, "You knew I was keeping a secret…I don't want us to be like that."

"So tell me," Paul grabbed my hand, surprising me by being gentle, and caressed it. His rough calluses created soft friction and my head spun. I forgot about the entire thing. He and I were happy now. Couldn't it wait a little while longer?

"Paul, please don't hurt Leah," I begged, forgetting the entire subject beforehand. "I started a fight I couldn't finish. She wasn't about to just let me beat up on her and you know that."

"She hurt you," Paul growled, like that comment alone was enough to hang somebody. Hesitating for only a moment, he pulled my body flush against his. I relaxed in his warmth.

"And I hurt her back. I can fight my own battles. I did just fine against her for a good few seconds," I murmured into his chest. I flexed my wrist and cringed. "Besides, I need some help with my wrist."

"What's wrong?" Paul whispered, his voice muffled by my hair. Awkwardly, blush spread upon my cheeks. I was thankful his warm body was too close to mine to notice.

"I think I may have popped it in wrong."

"Only you would Blake," Paul sighed and began to pull away when my phone buzzed in my right side pocket.

"Can you-?"

"I can't say it's a pain," Paul smiled slightly, still cautious from our last fight. He reached behind my back for my sturdy phone, fondling my jeans more than a normal pocket pick required. My phone was a trooper. Somehow, it survived a paint war and being drenched in salty water. I didn't know how it still managed to keep form from my angry rants that were very common and usually resulted in me throwing it against a wall.

Stumbling, I gripped his shirt and leaned further into him for support. The days spent fighting really weakened me down to being desperate for contact. I felt stupid, but being in his arms helped more than anyone could imagine. Suddenly, his entire body stiffened from under me. Without a word, I could tell I was in trouble. I suddenly remembered that I kept a secret from him, and that Jones sent very interesting comments more than daily, though I never replied to him.

Without informing me from who it was from, Paul growled, _"I hope you are ready for this shit. Only a few more months, baby cakes, and I'll be slapping that pussy harder than you have ever experienced."_ Jones didn't even know how to send a good sext. If he was getting me in trouble, the least he could have done was made it interesting. Slapping that _pussy? _It was ass, dammit. "_You'll come into my office. I will_ –," Before Paul finished the horrifying message, the phone crumpled in his hand. In three little pieces it fell to the sand. So much for being a trooper, Sergeant Cell.

"Andromeda Blake Raine." He jumped ten feet away from me. "What the _fuck _is Jones talking about?" I could see the look of betrayal in his eyes. Frozen in fear, all I could do was look down. My palms began sweating. I supposed some things just had to come out sooner rather than later. "Answer me!" My throat closed up. I held back tears, afraid to speak at all.

"Paul," my voice cracked.

"He's waiting for you to come back? Do you plan to fuck him, Blake?" He roared. I flinched from his tone. His anger scared most people but not me. When he was angry, I felt guilty because it was almost always due to me. His anger was more of his way of crying. I hurt him so much.

"That's how I made him…keep quiet. I said I would, but I'm bluffing Paul!" I whimpered, lifting my eyes to his. An animal growl burred from his throat. By now, I grew cautious. His arms reverberated as energy pulsed through him. The look on his face was far worse than a scowl.

"Move back," he commanded. I wasn't expecting that but stepped back a few feet. He took deep breaths before turning his back on me. He tried to walk away; I give him that.

"I swear I'd never do that!" I cried. Walking away wasn't good. Would he ever forgive me? With all the things I've caused, how has he stayed by my side this long?

"Then why didn't you tell me dammit?" Paul spun on his heals. My comment set him off even more. My mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. I did try to, but I was such a wimp when speaking to Paul. If the information would hurt him, why would I purposefully put it on him? His labored breathing worsened and the shaking of his body scared me. Did he have a seizure? It really worried me.

"P-Paul?" I squeaked.

"Blake! Get away from him now!" Sam ran down the beach in a full sprint. Jacob pushed ahead, hurrying to get to us. I didn't know why. Paul would never hurt me. He _couldn't. _"Blake!"

A roar went loose from Paul's throat and I flinched back. Right before my eyes, he turned from a man into a large, fluffy beast. I fell to the ground. My eyes took in the canine freak. It was no illusion. I heard the thing growl, watched drool fall from his bared teeth. Then I broke into sobs. Paul was nowhere to be found. No sight or sound. My heart broke. I thought it even stopped - probably did. The man I loved just turned into a huge ass beast. He was _gone._

"Paul!" I cried, not thinking straight, and ran to the wolf, smacking him repeatedly. The huge wolf-bear hybrid snarled and paced away. "Paul! Where did he go?" I spun around, looking helplessly to Jacob, who was at the base of the rocks by now. They weren't as freaked out by this huge animal. Didn't they care at all for Paul? No. No, no, no! He couldn't be gone. Not Paul, not the only person who understood me more than myself. I barely ever told him I loved him! There was _no _way I'd let him disappear!

"Blake, step away," Jake talked to me like a child about to stumble off a cliff. "He's dangerous." As if the wolf could understand him, his head whipped around to snarl at Jake. Instinctively, I stepped back so its head wouldn't send me flying.

My foot caught on the rocky surface. My balance shifted away from me, out of reach. Crying softly, I lost all footage and fell, the rocks scraping my back and I tumbled down the rocks into the water. Blood filling the salty liquid, I tried to swim, but my gun belt and steel-toed boots weighed me down. Add that onto my massive headache and I found it impossible to swim. By the time Jake's warm body found mine, I was being slammed into the barricade of rocks on the ocean floor, my eyes swimming wide in fear, my oxygen gone.

Without air, I passed out when we were seconds away from the surface. In my near-death state, I was ready to give up any hope for life. In that second, I _wanted _to die. Paul had died. The wolf took him over. He left me. Even as Jake's mouth forced air into my lungs, I didn't fight hard to wake myself up. In fact, I prayed I could die and be with Paul. All the drama would disappear.

Instead of pushing away the blackness, I swam further into the cordial bliss to search for my light, my leading hand; my Paul.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ohh snap. Will she live or die? Will Blake get oxygen before her brain stops functioning? Brain dead or heartless, which is worse in the metaphorical world? Loved the awesome reviews and sooo many follows guys! Let's get at least four to six reviews? Of course, 2 follows/favorites is like one review to me!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I probably never will unless Stephenie Meyer puts me, a random stranger with an extremely uncommon name, in her will. Even then, I don't believe I would own the books, but hey, a girl can dream. **

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

I have read nearly two hundred books. Of those books, I've read about one hundred ninety-nine romance books. There's a coincidence in all of them. The girl never messes up! It's always the guy who's in trouble. I didn't understand. If that's the case, why was _I_ always the one in trouble?

Seriously think about this. Paul hadn't done a single thing wrong in our relationship except state his opinion, and even he was right! Of course all of my wrongdoings would add up. Paul had to have been on his last straw by now. All I expected was to lose the love of my life - this time I was sure he was the one unlike my other 'loves.' I never in a million years expected _this_.

His anger topped any number of levels than I had ever seen from Paul. Blake Raine was an angry person herself, but this was unnatural. It confused me so much that I began talking in third person to myself!

Don't call me crazy just yet. Have you ever seen a person - whom you loved - turn into a beast the size of a horse as thick as a bear? I'd guarantee all of you snorting and saying you'd be brave are just sitting there, reading along while the most dangerous thing you've ever encountered was a robber in the store on your street, if that. Yes, you idiots who haven't seen anything of this nasty world aren't brave. Nobody fears nothing. Only idiots think that. Everyone fears something. If you don't sense danger, you are simply ignorant.

The only thing that would cause an intelligent person to ignore danger signs would be love, as it had done in the past and will continue doing so. In retrospect, that caused my tumble to the cold abyss. If I had sensed that the animal that overtook Paul – a well fit, stronger man than I – was dangerous instead of being blinded by love, hate, and grief, I wouldn't have stepped closer and I wouldn't have stepped back.

Love caused many things. I never expected it to lead to my death no matter how many times I reread Romeo and Juliet.

* * *

><p>The first thing I noticed was the smell. I loved hospitals despite my many occurrences here. With the sanitization smell of feral doctors invading every room, I recognized my position immediately. Memory rushed through my mind like a dam breaking loose. I bolted upright, forgetting to open my eyes or look around at all.<p>

My arms felt like dead weights while my legs felt like jello. Still glaring at the back of my eyelids, my sense of balance evaded me and I fell forward from my rush of movement. Apparently, I was alone because nobody caught me, though I could have squished him if they were anyone but a man from the pack. Honestly, my body was lead.

"Shit." I couldn't comprehend the word. It was familiar, but what did it mean? Shit. Wasn't it a term for poop? Sure, we'd go with that.

"Poop?" My voice sounded weird, but I was mainly focused on pushing my eyes open. When they did listen to my slow brain, they popped wide and large. I wouldn't have been surprised to see my foster child – whose name I couldn't remember – or even Paul's ghost sitting by my side, but Leah? Damn, that didn't seem right.

"You sure do look like it," she chuckled. That was a full sentence. It took me a minute, but she didn't need a response. Soon she had her arms under my body and had lifted me back onto the bed. When her arms left me, I shivered. Still I was in my soaking wet clothes. Touching my head with shaking fingers, I found nasty stiches lining my temple.

"Ughn," I slurred. I had meant to say 'ouch' but it didn't come out correctly.

"Paul," Leah said, but I didn't catch the rest of the sentence. Her muffled voice combined with the sound of my sobbing droned it out. Hearing his name was too much. He was too much, too much to lose so soon. Before I knew it, vomit spewed all over the side of the bed from my mouth. It was the same side of the bed Leah sat on. "I deserved that."

I blinked and when my eyes opened, the entire scene had changed. Instead of Leah being by my side, Paul – or what I thought to be his ghost – stood there holding my hand. Leah stood all the way at the other end of the ER bed. Theo, whose name came to mind after a good two minutes, stood at the base of my bed talking on the phone. People all around me spoke, but their voices sounded like they were underwater.

"I thought you said she was fine!"

"The bleeding stopped. She should be getting better."

"Shut up, Carlisle is on the phone."

Those were the first three sentences I heard. It took me a total of five minutes or so to understand those meanings and the name.

"Paul, this isn't good."

Now I knew I didn't translate that right. Paul was dead. My love of my life was dead. Why were people addressing him? It was impossible. That huge wolf had sprouted from inside his body. Surely all of his organs, bones, and nerves were in pieces as small as molecules, slowly spreading throughout LaPush's ocean.

"Paul?" I managed to slur. "Paul?" I asked again because they didn't understand me. I focused hard, annoyed with my defective brain.

"I'm right here, baby. You are going to be okay. Carlisle will get you…" As his ghost spoke, my eyes folded shut. When I opened them again, the prospect shifted _again_. I was in an ambulance with Paul, Carliske, and the boy whose name I kept forgetting at my side. My head pounded so hard I worried it would implode.

"Paul?" I asked again, unsure of his whereabouts. What little hope I had stirred inside me. Maybe he somehow survived that? I mean, I wasn't counting on much, but he was Paul Lahote. He'd survive anything if he set his mind to it.

"You're being sent to Forks Hospital. Carlisle is here and he just relieved some of the brain swelling by taking off a piece of your skull," the boy at my side immediately drummed off. He had a concerned look. Did I know this boy? It was such a shame I couldn't recall his name, but I did know he meant something to me.

"Dead. Paul?" I asked, struggling to reach my weightless hand into the air. I _thought _I had it held over my body to the left, but it really just hovered off the shaking bed.

Another pale white person whipped his head around through the metal slab separating the driver and us. His golden eyes were off the road much longer than I imagined was safe, but at the moment I just wanted to know what happened. It was so confusing and my head hurt. "She's not going to believe you are alive until you explain. Paul, she needs to know. She has to hold onto you to push through the surgery."

This man knew inside my mind, I thought. His bronze hair and crooked smile made me sneer, slowly but surely. That was exactly what I had been thinking. The too perfect doctor said grimly, "You have a few minutes. Make it brief."

I whipped my head around to where the man spoke. It seemed directed towards Paul's ghost. He looked so real. He felt so real. I wondered… No, my Paul had never cried before. I was pretty convinced it was impossible for him. Ghost Paul on the other hand had hot tears dripping down his face, yet he ignored them as if they weren't there. Shakily, he took my limp hand in his own. Looking at him, my mouth watered. It tasted bad and I tried to swallow it down, but it became very hard to do so. I was dying. I'd be with Ghost Paul soon. I wished I could have told him that so he'd get that worried look off his beautiful face. Tears didn't suit him. "It's okay," I smiled, conveying to be calm. His frown worsened.

"It's not Blake. You saw me turn into the wolf, right?" Thank the lord, that boy knew how to speak. Everyone else might of well of been speaking Spanish for all I knew. He spoke slow and concise. I managed to nod, which hurt my head even more. "We come from Quileute legends. You were right. It's in the genes. I can shape shift into a large wolf, we all can. I'm alive. You are alive. And you better stay that way, got it?"

"Alive," I repeated in a scared tone. Disapproving, I frowned. I had planned on dying and being with him. Paul nodded, unsure why I scowled. "Good or bad wolf?"

"Good," the boy to my side squeezed my other hand. What did he have in connection to me again? I had it and then I lost it. "We fight vampires. Only the Cullen's are good vampires. Everyone else non-human, we kill."

"Kill." I smiled at that. I wasn't the only one who killed anyone. Sure, mine were real people, but hey, you get what you get. "Like me. I kill."

"Yes," Paul's hot lips scorched my hand. With my head spinning, I wasn't sure exactly how they did it, but I knew they spoke the truth. Things added up, except the Cullen's hid well. Renesmee must not have been one because she went in the sun. With the pack, I was relieved. They were the good guys. They hid something non-dangerous though frightening.

Fear crept from behind and slowly covered my eyes. I had to fight. I knew I did. If I didn't understand anything else, it was that Paul was alive. "Blake?" His voice begged. "I love you, Blake. Please don't die, please."

I guessed that meant I had to live.

* * *

><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

I'd like to spare you the pain and agony of having to hear of my time while she was under in surgery. To sum it up, I was a mess. Any negative emotion, you ask it and I had it. Depressed, angry, guilty – that was a huge one - worried, heartbroken, mortified, etc. The list went on.

I could skip to when she pulled through thanks to Carlisle's impressive skills, but her time spent in ICU only made me worry more. Since I wasn't family, I wasn't technically allowed to be in her room at all hours. Still, I snuck in and after an hour of chasing me around, the nurses gave up.

Three days later, she was still in a medical coma. They could pull her out of it at any time, but that would risk her brain function, giving it a chance to swell further. They wanted to wait until it was back to normal before they woke her. Only then would we learn of her deficits. Considering how large her brain bleed was, there could be many. Deaf, blind, memory loss, or she never wakes. There was brain function now but if her brain couldn't function while awake, she'd slip into a dangerous coma, one where she'd probably never escape.

After Jake pulled her onto the beach and forced air into her system, I managed to shift back. Due to her blood loss, she passed out and only woke in LaPush's clinic emergency room. By then, I had Leah sit with her while we convinced Carlisle to get his ass down here because those doctors had no clue why her symptoms worsened. Leah was the only one willing to risk her life on my hand incase Blake died on her watch. Even if she couldn't have done anything, everyone knew for a fact that they would be the objects of my rash emotions.

By then, I hadn't forgiven Leah, but I was ten times more to blame than her so I let it go temporarily.

That was still where I was at the moment, in the ICU. "Eat something," Catherine shoved a platter of food into my lap. Numbly, I nibbled on the food that used to give me so much energy.

"Johanna, Joy, this is very nice," Theo stuttered, looking between the girls with utter confusion. They had both visited every day for his sake. Johanna was compelled and Joy felt obligated. I sighed loudly. Visitors were just an annoyance to my self-loathing. "Paul is kind of in control right now. I promise I'll talk to you later." Joy leaned in with a scrunched up face to give him a kiss and Theo almost pulled away. They settled for a more platonic kiss on the cheek and both girls scurried away.

"You need to deal with them," Catherine chastised. She and Blake were so alike it strained my heart.

I wished I hadn't imprinted on Blake. I wouldn't have been given the chance to get that angry over her. I growled at the memory. I was so stupid. Her delicate figure flinched in front of me repeatedly. That should have been a sign. I tried to fight back. Why didn't I push harder? Just because I was part wolf didn't give me an excuse to my actions. Jared would have been able to control himself.

Wood splintered under my hand. The armchair had long since been dented from hour one by my hands. "She hates needles," Catherine brushed away strands of Blake's blood-streaked hair. She gazed at her daughter protectively in a helpless way. Her protectiveness didn't do much good. Mine used to. Now I just wanted it to disappear so she could live. I would go every day without seeing her as long as I knew she was safe and happy. Now she had a chance of forever being in a coma or come out a whole new person because of me. "There are so many needles she's hooked up to. Before, we never were able to take her blood because she refused."

Theo and I glanced down to our arms. The scars were gone but we could still visualize the needles they used to take our blood into a direct transfusion into Blake. LaPush didn't keep much blood on stock, mainly out of fear of leeches. She needed it. I figured I was her best match if I was her imprint. I doubted my blood and genes would actually kill her. After taking so much of mine, they looked to Theo, claiming they looked alike. After a quick blood test, we found they both had the rarest blood type there was.

"You sure you don't want a blood related test?" Catherine pestered Theo. Carlisle recommended it. He went so far as to say that both their blood even smelled the same. I didn't even have enough energy to snap at him.

Theo nodded firmly. He had thought long and hard on that. "She's my family without blood. That's more important." His voice was shaky with fear that it was wrong. I didn't bother to look up and comfort my brother. It was true, but Blake would want to know. Even if she claimed she didn't, she would have deep down.

"I'd like alone time with her before Carlisle comes with the MIR," I stated coldly, my voice cracking. I hadn't spoken in three days. Mostly Theo, Jared, or Sam would sit and fill the silence with what they assumed were comforting words. Truth be told, the only comfort a person held while their soul mate was in surgery was that you'd know sooner or later. It was a definitive answer.

"Paul Lahote, this isn't even visiting hours-," Catherine began on her rant. She had never liked me since I started the quarrel between Blake and her. Now, she flat out loathed me. Everyone thought she stumbled, but Catherine claimed I was too much of a wimp to help save her in the water.

"Catherine, I think I could use that advice about Johanna now," Theo sighed without emotion. This drained him as much as me. He couldn't sleep due to worry and he constantly climbed in bed beside her frail, brittle body, much to my worry that he'd roll over and squash her.

"Sure, if you explain again how she dislocated her wrist," Catherine scowled on the walk out. I politely closed the door and let them get into the elevator before I let go of my emotional hold. In the past days, anger left me. My fight had disappeared. If she went, my body wouldn't push hard enough to breathe or think. My fight would be over the second the heart monitor flat lined.

Tears fell onto the sheets. I clenched her good hand, probably too tight, but she couldn't feel it either way. As silent sobs quivered through my body, I rested my head by her thighs, forcing thoughts away. The guilt got to me far too much. If I just hadn't of done this or that. It was all I could think, every day, every second.

"Please, please wake up, Blake," I whispered into her hands, kissing them repeatedly. Her body slept peacefully. She didn't even look in pain, which was hard to imagine from all the tubes running in and out of her body. The only thing that looked normal was her body, definitely not her head. On the transportation to this larger hospital, Carlisle had removed a chunk of her skull, explaining he'd never do this if it weren't Edward driving. Somehow I allowed it. They put that flap of skin back over her skull and the hair actually wasn't as messed up in that part.

She'd be furious that they had shaved off all of her hair at the base of her neck to reach the bleed. It wouldn't make a difference to me. She would be beautiful even if she were bald. I finally understood what they meant about beauty being on the inside.

Any of the girls I slept with before meeting Blake would have looked butt ugly bald. They would have looked like those horrible shaven cats. People like Blake looked stunning no matter what. Sweatpants or dresses worked for her just the same. Her beauty could be seen from her heart. The way she smiled fully with no menace or ulterior motive would stop a heart. Her laugh could make you see the true beauty within.

I had never been one to cry. Not many people were allowed to see me. On normal occasions where one would cry, my anger overtook my emotions before tears. But in situations like this, my anger had too much time to disappear. There wasn't a way to get out of this by brute force. Crying was an odd thing. I felt dumb yet it also relieved me.

A cold hand on my shoulder startled me. I whipped around, standing protectively by instinct. Slowly to show his caution, he felt over her head and over the patch without skull there. They put her skin back over to prevent infection, but it wasn't protected. If she fell out of her bed, she could easily…die. With a grin, Carlisle spoke. "She's ready. I've been at this so long I can feel, but we still must do a MIR. Is that okay?"

I nodded numbly. She'd wake up today. Fear pulsed through me. Would she remember anything? Would she forget me? I could deal with that, but if she turned out blind because of me…

"Paul, she's going to be just fine," Carlisle assured me. He gave me a wink. I knew he used his extra senses in the OR for Blake, risking notice by his staff just for her, but what did that assure me? There had been no complications with her surgery; it ended quicker than most would.

"Carlisle," my voice choked up just looking at her pale body. Her face had turned from a prefect tan to a dry yellowish color. "Could you do me a favor?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Warning, guys it gets going a little fast from here. I loved the ****reviews so much! They are awesome and help a lot. To MariMart, you literally read my mind. So weird… Anyways, I have only a few more chapters written so I'm running behind and it gives me anxiety ughh. I just don't have enough time between school and this but they will come along. For now if the reviews and follows stay at the requirements the updates will be about the same three days but when I run out of chapters, it could end up being every week, if that but let's not stress. I may have one of those weekends next weekend where I'm on a spree and write like no tomorrow. **

**Okayy…so can we go for six reviews at the least? Five with lots of follows and favorites, but six otherwise! SIX please! :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. SM owns all.**

* * *

><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

When they wheeled her back into the room, the tubes were out of her system. Everything was as it should have been. She only seemed like she was sleeping. My nerves were pulsing. This was it. She woke up or she crashed. She awoke blind or deaf. She remembered or she didn't.

And in the end, it would all be on me. My fault.

Theo and Catherine rushed into the room. Catherine and I never got along well so she shoved me to the other side of the bed while she stroked Blake's hair. I didn't care. Blake would probably never want me touching her again. Being an imprint was a dangerous job, but being an ignorant imprint…well that was stupid on my part.

Her slow breathing turned into normal breaths. Blake took her time opening her eyes. Her expression wasn't as confused as I expected, it was more along the lines of annoyed. The first thing she did was reach to her left arm IV and tried to yank it out. Catherine stopped her quickly.

"Blake? Blakey, it's time to wakey, wakey," Catherine crooned like she was a child. Theo kept her hand held tight. I was afraid to touch her. I'd never touch her again. Just being near her, I caused her to stumble into the rough ocean.

With her full eyes wide, she finally was able to focus on objects. I exhaled in relief, feeling the need to cry out I was so happy. She could see. I didn't know what was worse, being deaf or blind. I couldn't imagine being deaf; I'd feel so alone, yet being blind seemed like an even duller lifestyle. Those perfect round orbs searched from face to face without clear recognition until she found mine. Instantly, my heart pulsed louder and faster, something I would never be used to.

Anger was evident in her eyes and as much as it pained my heart, I was still jubilant that she woke with eyesight. "Blake? Can you hear me?" Theo asked from her other side. The words took longer than they should have to process in her head and it worried me, but soon she shook her hair. She wasn't paralyzed from her neck down, that much we knew because she breathed on her own.

"Did I technically…sleep with an animal?" Blake groaned, lifting her hands in the air a few inches for a second before dropping them like lead. She probably wanted to cover her eyes in embarrassment. My heart stopped for a second and before I knew it, I had her in my arms, ready to never let her go. She was okay. She remembered me; she remembered our time together. She remembered enough to make a snide comment. She was Blake and perfectly normal. "Put…me down." Her sentence was spoken slowly, but it was better than on the ride to the ambulance.

I did as told reluctantly and grasped her hand even though she tried her hardest to yank it away. "What…?"

"Hello Blake, I'm Dr. Cullen," Carlisle stepped forward with a smile. I pushed down my protective thoughts and let him observe her body. He had just saved her life for crying out loud. "Catherine and Theo, I think it's best she has as little people as possible for this part. Paul will be here to fill her in on what she couldn't remember." He only did that so I could re-explain about the wolves incase she forgot. Catherine, who was near tears, hugged Blake and kissed her forehead before leaving.

"Who's Theo?" Blake asked, looking at Carlisle precariously. My heart dropped into its stomach. How did she forget him? It would give him so much strain. He needed a home with a mom who loved him _and_ remembered their relationship.

"Me, Blake, don't you remember?" Theo spoke through a choked voice. I met his eyes with guilt, yet he didn't blame me. Nobody did. That's what made me so damn mad. They should have blamed me. How could they not? Who else was at fault?

"Theseus," Blake spoke assuredly. I frowned. Slowly, she scowled, looking at her hands. Then recognition washed upon her features. "Sorry. Theo…I don't know…"

"Some memories will be foggy after brain surgery," Carlisle filled in. "Your brain just supplied the word you could most associate with him until you could catch up."

"Who's Theseus?" Theo asked, taking her hand again. Blake looked away from him and into her lap. Her mother cleared her throat from the doorway shaking her head. It must have been a tough subject for Blake. "It's okay. I'm going to grab you something to eat." He hurried out with a frown. It couldn't sit well that she forgot him for even a few minutes.

Carlisle stepped forward with another smile, but Blake greeted him with a snarl. "Why leave him here?" she jabbed her finger at me. My heart clenched in pain. Anger flushed through my system, but it was welcome. Anger was a familiar emotion, one that I grew accustomed to. There was a tiny hint of relief. It bothered me that nobody else blamed me for her accident. I didn't purposefully hurt her, but if I hadn't of phased, we wouldn't have been here. She understood that. Man, Blake was a saint.

"You have questions, I'm sure. He was there through it all," Carlisle said. "However, I also need to ask you some questions. I figured it might be better for me to…supervise."

"Good thinking, he'll need a crash cart when I get done with him," Blake snarled, reaching out to slap me. With her weak but building energy, she didn't get halfway to my face. I sighed. It was pathetic. If she wanted to punch me, she should have been able to. Again, it was my fault.

"I'm sorry Blake. I shouldn't have been so close to you. It was my fault this all happened to you." I didn't ask for her forgiveness. If somebody caused me to have brain surgery, I think I'd beat the shit out of him.

"Damn right it was," Blake mumbled with a hint of regret. I looked down at her weakened body. Three days under didn't really have a huge impact on her. The tiny wrist was healing nicely. The scratches Leah gave her disappeared yesterday. All that was left was her head, but I already found that beautiful.

"Let's not forget who walked forward to _pet a wolf. _If you thought he was a real, vicious wolf, why did you do that, Blake?" Carlisle tried not to scold her. That was a question that entered everyone's mind. Was she dangerously curious or crazy stupid? Either way, I was surprised she didn't fall back when I shifted in the first place.

"He looked so much sweeter than the real Paul," Blake growled through her teeth. Whatever she was mad over, it wasn't me putting her in the hospital. That annoyed me most. I wanted her of all people to be hardcore mad with me over something I knew and agreed on. Didn't anybody think I was the most stupid 'protector' on the planet? We all should have learned from Sam, but not me. I was imprudent enough to think I could actually control my emotions. "I'm serious Doc. It's not like I had sex with a wolf, right?"

"You are hilarious, Blake," I teased lightly. If she was strong enough to be her witty self, then maybe things weren't as bad as I had feared. "I think we – I owe you a better explanation."

"Yes, please explain how you have hid half of your damn life from me," she snarled. "I always knew the secret was huge, but this? You aren't even human and you decide to keep that from me?" Again, she tried to punch me and when that failed, she turned to Carlisle. "Punch him please."

"Blake, you really need to listen. He's more unstable than ever. Your forgiveness or lack of matter more to him than anything else right now. Give him a chance," Carlisle advised while filling in some charts. Blake rolled her eyes and looked expectantly to me. I gulped. I had one shot.

"So?" she raised an eyebrow. I got the feeling that she didn't exactly have an open mind. Whatever I said wouldn't really make a difference to what she did, but I had to try.

"When our tribe was created long ago, we had spirit warriors…" I told her the long story of our origination. With each detail, she grew more skeptical. It was hard to process. I could only imagine. I finished with the topic of imprinting left unsaid.

"Paul, she needs to know," Carlisle nudged my side. It was better to rip off the bandage all at once, but man I was scared.

"Know what? I already know my foster child and my – Paul are part wolf!" Blake purposefully cut off her words. My heart literally stopped. Her what? I knew she was mad, but I had hoped she wouldn't break up with me over it.

"Blake, I'm going to get new dressing," Carlisle took time to first glare at me then at her. "When I get back, I want Blake still in bed without anything broken. Is that clear?" He had good suspicion of Blake's attitude. She nodded though I doubted she meant it. He closed the door behind him and took Catherine, who had tried to spy on us, on a trip down the hall.

"Blake, do you remember when I told you about imprinting?" I asked, scratching my neck. Her eyes shot to the vase beside her; contemplating on throwing it at me I'm sure. She sure had spunk.

"Sure do," Blake said, her eyes boring holes into my chin. She refused to meet my gaze. I didn't blame her.

"Well, imprinting isn't just that."

"Another lie, what a surprise?" Her sarcasm made her feel better, I reminded myself.

"I imprinted on you Blake," I sighed, trying to make her take this seriously. She was mad, but she needed to hear it all before she sent me away. "After a man phases, we develop this system to find the person we are meant to spend the rest of our lives with. Believe it or not, that's you. The moment we met eyes, I knew you were my soul mate. There was no other person who can take that away, not you or me. It's love at first sight, but so much more than that… Why are you crying?"

Tears developed in her eyes and spilled over her cheekbones. Blake cried rarely. I instantly took a step closer to her, but it only made her cry more. "Get out." She hissed in a low voice. I sputtered, trying to understand her sudden hatred towards me. I knew she was mad, but why was she so mad she was crying? "Get out!"

A flying lamp came my way along with the telephone. "Go away. We are through!"

"Blake, let me explain," I had to have phrased something wrong. No other imprint ever acted this way when things were explained. Though, no other imprint had the time to fall in love with the wolf before everything was explained. Something inside me clicked. That was why.

On the rocks right after I phased in front of Blake, she didn't reach out to pet me. I felt her hands on my body and assumed she was petting me, but what if her pounds were just too weak? What if she was hitting me – the thing that she thought…killed me? Instead of cowering in fear, she was only worried over my safety. It made sense why she kept asking if I had died on the car ride to the hospital.

Blake wasn't only in love with me. She loved me so much that it topped her safety charts, her instincts. My heart swelled. Maybe there was hope after all.

"Explain?" she laughed humorlessly. My hope deflated. "Explain what, Paul? Would you like to explain how you were forced into this relationship? Leah, of all fucking people, was right. Would you like to lie to me again and tell me that if you hadn't imprinted on me, you wouldn't be out in the bars with strippers? Or would you like to explain that you just toyed with my heart. Maybe it was forced for you but not…" Her voice choked off.

"Blake it's not like that," I begged. The door opened and I smelled the leech before he touched me. With strong, stone hands, he pulled me out the door. "Blake, I swear-!"

"Give her time," Carlisle advised me. In that moment especially, I would have been happy to rip his head off. I threw his hand off my arm with a snarl. If the quarters weren't so close, I would have phased and tore him limb from limb. Nobody tells me what to do, especially if they had no idea what either of us felt. "Physically and mentally, this is all overwhelming her. Paul." With one last growl, I tore through the wing and out the door. Once I hit the tree line, there was no holding back my anger. After I shifted, a howl burst through me.

Everything hurt. It hurt so much more than I had ever imagined. I had never been dumped before, but this wasn't normal. The intense, insistent pain I felt swimming around my heart didn't make sense. _I_ was the reason Blake was hurting. I caused her even more pain. She never wanted to see me again. I –

I howled again and again. They never stopped. Nobody commented on them because nobody had ever felt so much agony rip through a person at one time. I wanted to die. She wanted me to die. It would certainly make her happier.

Dammit, I screwed up and it wasn't even my fault. That's what made me so mad. I couldn't control it. I couldn't help that I imprinted on her. She claimed I lied to her? I had to in order to save my own skin. If she didn't remember correctly, she was the one trying to lock me up in jail. I wouldn't have been there to fall in love with her, something I voluntarily did!

_"She doesn't know that,_" a voice hissed inside my head. Until now, nobody dared to interrupt my rant. I was running at full speed to some non-existent destination ready to fight the first person I came across. Whoever spoke had a death wish. It was my time to mourn. "_Get out of your pity party. Did you know you've been howling all night long? You had a trail of hunters on you for a while."_

_"Get out of my head, Leah," _I snapped.

"_No. You need some help and I know exactly what she's thinking. Believe it or not, but we are very similar girls," _Leah snorted. So similar they got into a fight because of a disagreement. Sure. "_We're both headstrong, idiot. Do you want my help or not?"_

_"I'd _like _to do something far worse than listen to your crappy love advice."_

_"You are getting it either way," _Leah sighed. "_She thinks you didn't want to be with her, that you were forced."_

_"Now I wonder who gave her that idea?" _I thought rhetorically, putting all the hatred into my thoughts as I could.

_"How should he fix that?" _Jared asked for me. "_She already thinks he lied to her in the first place."_

_"That's not fair. If he told her, she would have ratted us all out," _Embry whined.

"_She may still." _I thought miserably. I couldn't shake the feeling that telling her was a mistake. It was my imprint. I should have been able to tell her anything, yet I had a hole in my stomach that told me I screwed up not only for my relationship, and myself but also for the entire pack.

"_What_?" Screamed Jake. I didn't blame his ridiculous outburst. Only the night before did he hear Renesmee sprouting on about her crush on Jake. It was just a matter of time before he could move forward in their relationship but it wouldn't happen if he were in jail.

"_Stop giving us your life story," _Sam growled. Jake was the worst at controlling his thoughts around us. He was too relaxed in his wolf state due to his months spent as only a wolf. That idea sounded better and better. Why not go all wolf for the months Blake pushed me away? She didn't want me; nobody else needed me. "_Blake is in the hospital. As long as she stays there, she can't write it out."_

_"Are you going to stay away?" _Leah asked. Even though I mentally felt the need to leave, I couldn't force myself far from her for long. "_You need to. Give her time. What was the thing you had Carlisle do for you earlier?"_

_"Sure, let's just play toss around with Paul's head until it splits open_." My paws dug deep into the dirt, expelling enough force to jump atop of a huge boulder. "_None of your business," _I thought feebly, but they saw anyway.

"_Those results will be done in a week. Go back then. Explain things better when she's more rested," _Leah complied. I never imagined waiting a week would solve anything, but Leah _was_ a girl. Somehow I trusted her, the same girl that put Blake in this position. Not exactly, but she did dislocate her hand. "_She's pissed off now and she'll hold it for a while. But by the time you visit her again, she'll really crave your company at the least. May even forgive you."_

_"I didn't do anything!" _I insisted.

"_Blake's confused man. She thinks you did."_

_"Won't ignoring her just keep her from healing? She'll be sick in the hospital for even longer," _Jared asked. She would. I'd purposefully keep her from healing. But then again, that created more time between her getting to her computer to send the report. As much as I hated making her worse, it wouldn't kill the angel.

"_Whatever we do, nobody can let her get her hands on that device," _Sam said. In unison, we all nodded in agreement. With everyone there except Theo, it shouldn't have been a problem. I assumed Theo knew not to.

There was nothing left for me to do but run. If I intended to stay away, I knew I had to stay _far _away.

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

My heart monitor by my side beeped the same boring rhythm. The security camera in the corner of the room flashed behind my head, giving off a green light every five minutes. Those two were the most annoying things of my stay, other than the wolves.

I wouldn't speak to Theseus. It was hard to keep my anger towards Paul from going to my mom or Theseus. Still, I felt distant from my kid now. He had a secret, a rather large one at that, and kept it from me for so long. I couldn't help but be mad at both. With Theseus though, I knew I'd never be able to push him away because he'd never come back.

Dammit, it was Theo wasn't it? Why was he so persistent to be called Theo? One glance his way and my brain instantly called him Theseus. Whatever happened in my brain, it brought back two things. The name problem was one of them. The other one was…better left for when I was alone.

"Mom?" my voice cracked. It had been three days since my surgery. It was the first time I had spoken to anyone, mainly because Theo was in the room the entire time. Mom didn't know what was going on, but she could sense the tension.

"Theo, could you get her some food?" Mom asked, standing up from her card game. Theo glanced wearily at me and nodded. Since the Paul outburst, he liked staying by my side more. It warmed my heart that he took my side over Paul's, though he was really part of his side in a way. I didn't know why he stood with me but I was glad he did.

Remembering his enhanced hearing, I motioned for Mom to come close once he left. I whispered, "When Theo isn't here, bring me my typewriter." My heart clenched at those words. If anyone from the pack were here, they'd stop her. Maybe they were supernatural, but everyone could be outwitted at the right time and the right place.

"Why baby?" she asked, squeezing my hand. "If it's Paul…"

"I think," I gulped, my mouth suddenly dry. "I can end this. I can come home. I just need to send one more letter." Her face lit up. It was priceless. I could almost stand the thought of locking away a good handful of innocent guys.

_They aren't innocent. They murder things. They are a threat and liars that nobody would suspect._

I tried to reason with the killer side of me, but living in LaPush must have softened me up. That or having brain surgery… Then I had to deal with the news of the Cullen family. It was so complicated. Surely they could believe I couldn't make something like that up. Somebody had to have been part God to create a story like that. I saw things with my own eyes. My bosses would _have _to believe me. I didn't know any other way to tell them than to write.

"Finally," she sighed in relief. "I'll take you home. You don't have to work for a while. We can find you a new job and just forget about this stinky town. Paul Lahote will be just a memory soon." I looked away from her excited face. How could I break her heart by saying I didn't intend to leave? She loved me so much. In fact, she was the only one who loved me unconditionally.

Paul may have loved me now, but if he was pushed into a relationship in the first place, then how did expect me to react? Be happy I had him _now? _He needed to realize how humiliating it was to me. I thought he genuinely liked me. I thought we connected. But we didn't…because I was his imprint. I hated the word.

These-Theo was only a child. He had his own teenage problems to get past. I was his foster mother. There were no expectations that consisted of his unconditional love. He had the right to flip out over nearly anything. I didn't bring him into this world. I didn't drop everything and adopt him. If I could trust Jones's word that he'd be safe, I would adopt him.

Jones. I supposed I had to follow through now. Why not? It _felt _like Paul used me. He sure used my heart and tossed it out the window, right in front of me mind you. He had some nerve. I couldn't stand him but I couldn't bear to be the bringer of his downfall. He could live with the guilt of exposing the rest of his family. Theo and him would be safe. It would feel like I lived in a prison the rest of my life. I could live with that if Paul and Theo were safe. They still somehow were my priorities. Mom could live on without me. She was strong.

"Of course, Mom," I wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her in for a hug. Her hugs were just as comforting as my real mother's were. Artemis. I saw her face when I blacked out. It was a sign that I needed to pay more attention. That was her best asset, but I didn't know what I overlooked. "Could you go now? I'll send Theo away by the time you get here."

She left me alone for a good amount of time. I grew worried. It had been ten minutes at least, but then Theo came running in. "Where'd Catherine go?"

"To run an errand," I shrugged, still a little deflated of energy. He nodded and sat in the chair, rubbing a hand on my arm to warm me up. I had to admit; it felt nice. "Are you sure your name isn't Theseus?"

"Positive," he tilted his head to the side in thought. "Though Theo isn't my real name so it's a slim possibility. I can't remember my real one."

"Inconvenient," I chuckled, forcing a smile on my lips. There was nobody else in the room to listen in so I figured it was safe. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"No," he sighed, shaking his head. "I was going to let Paul tell you when he thought it was right."

"Why? I'm closer to you," I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Since day one, I took a liking to Theo. Paul on the other hand annoyed the shit out of me until I finally admitted it was more on the terms of flirting.

"Because…you're his girl. I know you think imprinting is stupid, but it's not. You aren't his property, but in terms for the pack, you were more his than mine." I frowned. They all thought imprinting was magical. I didn't. I thought it was manipulative and rude.

"Did you imprint?" I suddenly wondered. It was the only explanation as to why he suddenly didn't love Joy anymore. He nodded with a blushing smile. I let go of any lingering disgust I had towards Theo. Before I thought he was treating the two sisters like toys, but now I could almost see a deeper meaning there. "What's it like?"

"You could answer that. Just because we say Paul imprinted on you doesn't mean it's not the other way around. In terms for the guys… We have this need to always be around her. She is our world. Everything we do is supposed to improve her happiness and safety. In a literal sense, nothing else matter. However, we both know that's not exactly true," Theo explained with a distant look. There was a twinkle in his eyes. I hadn't seen it before, not even with Joy. Paul had that twinkle all the time, even when we fought.

"It's not?"

"Nope," Theo shook his head with a grim smile. "We are still ourselves. Our personalities don't change as much as we first feared. Paul is still a hothead. I still care about Joy's feelings platonically, even though I'd do anything for Johanna…" He scowled at that last sentence. "Maybe that's not true."

"You know if you hurt Joy you hurt Johanna?"

"Yes, but also, I know that Johanna will hear. She makes me want to be…better," Theo blushed and looked back to me. "There are only a few things we can't change: our past, imprinting, and what we are. You chose two of the three to be mad about. Talk about tough luck."

"How are you with Joy and Johanna? How's Seth doing?" I perked up, going into a sitting position. Theo gripped my hand, warming my fingers.

"Seth, well he imprinted on Joy of course, he's still pretty mad about what we did," Theo grimaced. Paul mentioned they shared minds, but I wondered how much they could hide. Apparently, it was not much.

"He is a virgin going after an experienced girl. I'd be upset as well," I smirked.

Theo chuckled. "Seth's no virgin. He's upped Joy by one more person actually. He's just upset that it will take longer for her to let go because of what we did when I brake it off."

"You mean you haven't broken up?" I gasped, a plan already forming in my mind. Theo shook his head. "Call Seth in here. I have the most obvious plan. I'm a little ashamed you idiots haven't come up with it yet."

Helping out Theseus/Theo took my mind off of my next move. There was no time for guilt, only time for planning like any good spy would do.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I loved the reviews so sooo much guys! It's awesome! Sorry I couldn't update yesterday, it was crazy. It would be super amazing if I could get six reviews before the next update! Six pleaseeeee! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything minus new creations like OC's and plot.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

The second I got my typewriter in hand, I wrote. I wrote down every piece of information I could retain and then some.

I wrote about the wolves. I wrote of the vampires. I wrote of the origins of both, of the Volturi, of the third wife. I wrote how the Cullen clan was harmless and how the wolves were as well. To start it off, I explained how I got the information so they'd believe me and not just stop reading.

I read over the front page.

_To all whom are concerned, _

_I have found the source of the problems occurring here in LaPush, Washington and Forks, Washington. Though hard work got me far, I had to make multiple sacrifices. I was nearly attacked by the said creature, but in doing so I have full proof. _

_After falling off jagged rocks into the ocean, the creatures saved my life. I have found that as one of the many reasons they shouldn't be harmed. In fact, they truly are helpful animals. Consequently, I have gone through extensive brain surgery where the creature number two saved my life. _

_The things you are about to hear about are not dangerous to mankind. A majority of creature number two is, but not the Cullen family. I suggest not delving into a war with their species because we will frankly lose. _

_I hear by state Renesmee Cullen does not apply to the Cullen family species. I hear by state that none of them should be harmed. They should be known as allies if we do decide to act upon this terrifying yet utterly and unbelievably true information._

I didn't feel like reading through the specifics of the next pages. It only went into more detail and I couldn't force myself to read more and more about the thing they kept secret from me for so long. With a heavy sigh, I knew I couldn't send it.

No matter how much I valued my job, I couldn't do it, not at that very moment. Paul trusted me enough to shift into the beast in front of me – though I've been told he didn't really have much choice on that matter. He lied to me and he manipulated me, but I still loved the idiot. I never wanted to see him again, but I never wanted the choice to see him disappear.

Not long after putting the paper down, I slid it and my typewriter under the bed. I went to the bathroom and growled at my hair, demanding it to grow back. It was aggravating in the least, but I'd manage. It was just nice to expose some of my anger towards something so primitive.

When I exited the room, three smiling faces greeted me. My heart froze, slowly forming cracks when I met eyes with _Paul Lahote._ Instinctively, tears welled in my eyes. I looked for something to throw but only came up with the metal pole I clung to for my I.V.

"Get. Out." I seethed, not ready to deal with all of it again.

"How much do you love me?" he asked.

"As much as I love hell," I spat, stumbling forward in my anger. A pair of cold hands caught me swiftly and stopped my attempts of killing the bastard who betrayed me. "Carlisle, I swear-,"

"Blake, he has some information you need to know," Carlisle deposited me on the bed. Whatever it was, it could wait. I never wanted to look at his face, but when I did, a knot in my stomach released in ease. I hated how he had that stupid effect on me. My _body_ betrayed me now. Being near him eased my physical pain – I felt like I got a boost of energy – but my heart slowly stretched to its maximum, ready to fully explode at any second.

"Like hell," tears streamed down my face. "What else? Did you want to tell me that the wedding date is set? You can't force me I don't care what your _genes _tell you!"

He flinched, my words cutting lashes into his throat. The normally cocky Paul didn't even try to hide his pain. Wimp! "You understand of my love for Johanna," Theo cried in annoyance. He had put up with my crying and pouting for a couple days now. It was mainly crying I hated to admit. "What's the difference between that and your situation?"

"The difference," I spat, shooting Paul a glare, "is that Paul never wanted to be in the relationship in the first place!"

"This again?" Paul muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Five minutes and I promise you'll find out, Theo." Carlisle and Theo looked knowingly at each other and backed away in a hurry to escape my anger. They should have been scared. I easily would hurt either one of them that forced Paul on my hand.

"What?" I shouted, loud enough to wake the old people on my floor. "You are just going to leave me here? With the lying, low-life son of a bitch?"

When the door slammed shut, I jumped in surprise. Paul strode toward me with a fiery passion. His insistent gaze sent chills through my body. I moved to a sitting position and pulled my knees to my chest in hopes to fend him off. He took the open seat in front of me on the squeaky bed without asking. I wanted to kick him off no matter how childish it was. I refused to look into his brown chocolate pools. If that caramel fleck made contact with mine there was no going back.

"You think I never wanted to be in this relationship?" Paul asked, pondering the question for a bit. I nodded curtly before turning to glare at the door. "I suppose you're right."

"Could you please leave?" It was a surprise my voice spoke in the first place so I wasn't even ashamed of the high-pitched level or the way it cracked on the last word. Silent tears clogged my throat. I didn't need to be reminded how stupid I felt for having true emotions for him while he didn't reciprocate in the least. Foolish.

"You didn't either."

I spun on him, ready to slap his face for speaking again so freely, but those words caught me off guard. I didn't want to be in the relationship in the beginning. Instantly, I knew it indeed was true. I was very strong-minded of that, as I recalled. So why did it make a difference that he didn't want to, as well? Maybe I was a hopeless romantic and wanted to be chased after. It wasn't fair to him though. He never had a problem with my opinions yet he pushed through. Shouldn't I?

"I guess we were both forced then," I still blamed him. It was easier than imaging of some magical force pushing us together.

"Blake," Paul cut off his sentence and thought before beginning again. "Before I met you, I was a player who probably wouldn't have done much with his life. When you came along I wasn't exactly ready to give up certain aspects of that lifestyle, but I was always attracted to you. Every second of the day I found a feature of you that sparked something inside me. I was mad in the beginning. I fought against it. Now I thank fate every second that it pushed me towards you because there is no other spot I'd rather be in."

My jaw dropped. The Paul Lahote I met from day one never would have uttered those words. Honestly, I wouldn't have expected him to be so keen. My heart thudded loudly in its chambers. It was the truth through and through. My head spin from the sudden change. Would that be enough? He admitted he was forced into it, but how thankful was he? When my eyes locked with his, I knew he truly wouldn't be anywhere but here. It was hard to imagine that Paul was forced to love me. Even though, he did still love me. I supposed it could be enough. I didn't think I could go much longer without him around.

"I...I," I stammered. Words failed me. We had about three other fights before and in all of them we made up fairly quickly. In those times, we ignored each other until it came around unbearable to be without the other. It was the imprint side of us. This time I didn't think I could immediately forgive him. It wasn't his fault but I still felt betrayed by him, mainly for not telling me, which was a shitty reason.

"You don't have to forgive me," he sighed seeing the look in my eyes. I let go of a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "But I can't stand to be ignored."

"Can-," I finally sighed. "You promise no more lies?"

"I swear to it. No more lies," Paul held his right hand over his heart, something that made me smile against my wishes. "You can trust me, Blake. I would never purposefully do anything to hurt you."

I searched his eyes, wanting badly for it to be true. "I can't just..."

"Friends then," Paul said. My eyes narrowed. He was willing to backtrack all the way into the friend zone. I couldn't believe my ears. But there he was, extending his hand in friendship. He saw the confusion and doubt in my eyes. "I love you, Blake, and always will. So whenever you are ready, we can go straight back to that."

"Straight back?" I asked. He nodded with a smirk. I sighed. "Friends." He and I both knew friends meant something a bit more. It didn't have to be a spoken rule. 'Imprinting' kept either of us from thinking about anyone else in a sexual way. Though I loved Paul and probably would have chose him even without the imprint, I felt stupid for buying into it. It took my choice away in an unsettling way.

Carlisle and Theo walked back in. I jumped, forgetting about their extra hearing. They heard all of that, yet they didn't let on. I supposed they were used to it. Carlisle stood at the foot of the bed while Theo squished in beside me.

"Okay, friends," Theo grinned, looking between Paul and I. I flashed him my middle finger and elbowed him. "What's this about?"

"While Blake was recovering and whatnot, Paul asked me to do something. I wasn't planning on telling either of you but the results do call for it." He met eyes with me. "Theo and Blake are blood related siblings," Carlisle spoke with an even, calm tone. It almost made the information less overwhelming. "It's proven in your blood. We can't, however, report this to the government for they will require the DNA structure and that would give away their secret."

In the back of my mind, I did a little jig. I was correct before. If I had gotten my hands on their DNA...

Then I processed the information. Theo wasn't my son. He was my brother? I faced palmed myself. How could I not have guessed? I insisted on calling him Theseus, my brother's name. He was exactly eight years younger than me, the same age my brother was.

I refused to look at him sitting next to me, my hand squeezed in his. "How is that possible? I-I don't even know my parents," Theo choked out. I couldn't forget that he had to have been more confused than me. I knew I had _a_ brother, but for his entire life he had assumed he was a lonely cast of child.

Before I could stop myself, I spoke through a distant voice. "I had a brother. He was only a few months before I got kicked out of the boarding school..." Finally, I turned my head to look at Theo. Relief that had built up over fourteen years flooded through me. I always pushed down the grief of losing my little brother for so long that it almost became nonexistent. Now I had no idea what to feel. I did know, however, that Theo was even more confused. So I gave his hand a squeeze and glanced at him with a shaky smile. "This doesn't have to change anything, not if you don't want." He stiffened.

"What if he does?" Paul whispered rhetorically.

Theo shook his head and shakily stood, glancing between the three of us. "I need some air," he mumbled on his way out the door. I bit my lip when I noticed the pain shooting through his features. I couldn't have done anything wrong, right? I didn't know. I was more than thrilled to actually be related to the guy, but things with him was the only thing in my life that was on track. Now who knew where it went?

"Could you?" I asked Paul, hoping he could talk some sense into him. He nodded and began to get up but Carlisle stopped him.

"Paul, you'll want to hear this," Carlisle sighed tiredly. The second piece of information normally was worse. What else could he possibly have? It sounded like we were in trouble. There weren't many more rules for me to break.

"What is it?" he asked and sat in the chair beside me. I had to give Paul props. During my stay under Carlisle's watch, I really would have expected him to be much more on edge, though I never did get a glance outside my room so there easily could have been another wolf watching around the corner.

I eyed the camera in the corners. One was behind my head and one in front. I never liked surveillance cameras, especially now that I knew about the wolves. If Paul got angry and phased in this room, he'd be blown. It would take the FBI a total of ten minutes to hack into these cameras, maybe less. But then, maybe the pack was manning them here.

Carlisle used a doctor tone speaking to us now. Was there something medically wrong with me? I felt perfectly fine. "In the past month, how have you been feeing?"

"What's this about? Is she sick?" Paul immediately asked.

"No," Carlisle sighed and looked expectantly to me.

I searched my mind for anything odd but found nothing. "Uh, I've been feeling normal."

"Slightly on the moody side," Paul muttered teasingly resting his head on my thigh. I shoved him lightly and shrugged. Carlisle stared at our contact before meeting my gaze. He sent a silent message through me. I looked deeply but couldn't decipher it at all.

"What?" I asked.

"In your charts, it says you...haven't been sexually active lately?" Carlisle asked the question like he already knew we lied. I looked to Paul who had filled it out.

"We haven't been," he defended.

"Idiot," I rolled my eyes and smacked him on the back of his head. "It applies within the month, not the last week."

"It's been long enough..." Paul snickered, finally raising his head. "Why does it matter?"

"When was your last menstrual cycle?" Now he just wanted to see how red my face could go.

"It was," my face drained of color as I couldn't remember, "um..." Think, Blake, think! "January the second."

"It's February the tenth," Paul pointed out. I knew that…now.

"Blake, you are pregnant, I assume with Paul's child," Carlisle said the words. I already knew the second I remembered I was eight days late. It set in slowly. How many beers had I had in the last months? Did coffee do anything? Dear goodness, I had surgery! How did the baby survive? My eyes popped wide as my hand slid down to my stomach. "It pulled through the surgery with so much ease we didn't notice. If Paul had not have had us analyze your blood, we wouldn't have known."

"Tha-that's not possible! We used a condom..." I trailed off, vaguely remembering the little rip. "I took the morning after pill."

Paul groaned, "No. You didn't. We got distracted and never went to Port Angles to get it. Dammit." His fist made contact with the bed multiple times and I noticed it shook.

"There are always options," Carlisle pointed out with a slightly pained look.

"Not adoption. No," I shook my head thoroughly.

"Abort-," Carlisle offered.

"No." Paul and I both said firmly.

"Then I suppose it's settled," Carlisle gave me an apologetic look. Everyone knew our situation. Bringing a baby into this world was not a good idea at all for us but…it was happening. "Would you like some cards for doctors to see now or I could give you some time."

"Doctors?" I asked.

Paul informed me in a whisper. "It's who delivers the baby. They make sure you are healthy and gives you some vitamins to help ease things." I was surprised he knew so much. Then again, I didn't know much about his family. Maybe he had a sister who went through this or something.

"Exactly. I know many-."

"Can you?" I immediately asked. Paul groaned and fell back in his char. Maybe his tolerance was all an act. "I mean - are you able to?"

"Yes, I've mastered most fields and childcare is simple. Legally, you'll be reported for not having a doctor because that's not my field. You'll just have to call me when the time comes," Carlisle said. He sounded willing to do it. That eased me a bit. Going to somebody else made it all too surreal.

"When what time comes?" I frowned. My mother had a brother but I couldn't remember her doing anything like this. My head was spinning.

"When it's time to deliver."

I fell back on the bed exhaustively. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"You need some time to...talk things through." Carlisle said and left before assuring his arrival tomorrow. I groaned and flipped over, pounding my fists into my bed like a child.

This couldn't be happening. _I_ was still a child. I was taking care of Theo - my brother! It was too much to handle. I couldn't hold back my tears. When would my life ever be calm and collected? Wasn't that supposed to happen to imprints?

I screamed, pulling at my hair. "Blake," Paul pressed a hand to my hip, rolling me to face him on my side. I stared at him in hopes to gain some solitude. His expression angered me. Paul wasn't crying or whining. He was strong and sure. Why was he always my rock? Couldn't I stop being weak long enough so he would feel the need to show any emotion?

Still I was extremely grateful when he gathered me in his arms and let me weep into his shoulder. I soaked his shirt, but he didn't care. Paul's hands rubbed circles on my back and soothed down my tangled hair. "It's going to be okay. We'll be fine, baby."

Even after I stopped crying he held me tight against his muscles chest. It gave me a secure feeling. I knew he'd always keep me safe. Maybe he did lie to me, but I would always trust him with what mattered deep down. "So much for being friends..." I mumbled into his shirt. Paul chuckled softly and pulled away, holding me at arms length on his lap.

When I looked at his face, tears came to me again. It wasn't the pretty type of crying either. It started from crying about having a baby to crying over Theo and now crying over disappointing Paul. Surely he blamed me. Most players did whenever they knocked a girl up.

"Hey, hey look at me, only at me. Right here," he motioned to his eyes. I wiped away snot and nodded as I struggled to stop crying. I began to look away. "My eyes." He held my gaze with authority until we were sure I wouldn't burst into tears. In that moment, any lasting negative feelings went out the door.

"What are we gonna do?" I whispered in a barely audible tone. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smirked.

"We are going to go home. We'll figure something out with your job and us. You'll move in - or not if you want - and we'll have the most beautiful baby you've ever seen. Theo will get off his high horse and adore his big sister. Things will be just fine, Blake," Paul's hand gripped the side of my face, conveying his image of our future to me through his eyes.

"But..." I began to say and stopped when I saw his expression harden. "I have to quit my job."

"What, why?"

"They'll know. _Most_ assignments have a shootout at least every month. It's too dangerous. If they know I have a kid with you, they'll never be off your all's backs," I wiped at my nose. "But I have to finish here or else they will never."

"How?"

"I don't know, Paul," I quivered. I leaned into his chest again. The crying wore me out. "You can't, like, you know, leave or anything."

"I, like, won't," Paul mocked me. I frowned and burrowed my head into his arms. "I guess that's the one thing I don't know about you. Did you want kids?"

"No," I shook my head. "Not after my mom left me with my dad. I feared they'd end up in foster care. Then I met Theo and things changed. He never was a son to me, another reason he fits better in my heart as a brother, but I got a hint at what it's like."

"Nobody else knew, but I've always wanted them. Not too many, but I want a girl and a boy." While Paul spoke, his arms relaxed around my shoulders, a distant look growing in his eyes. My heart thudded in relief. Suddenly, the idea of having this baby didn't scare me as much. At least it would make one of us happy.

"So you want this? You're okay with it?" I asked, wiping the dried tears from my eyes. A grin spread across his lips.

"Early it may be, but I couldn't be happier," Paul bent his head instinctively and pressed his lips to mine. I jumped and he pulled back. Neither of us said a word. He waited to see my reaction, to see if I'd hate him again. But I finally just let my body take over. I kissed him again, growing a small smile.

"We can do this," I laughed, twining our hands together.

"We can." Paul's smile probably wouldn't have faded at all that night if Theo hadn't of burst into the room. I jumped, crawling back towards the bed. Paul helped me in, sitting protectively beside me with his body leaning over mine just a bit. "If you are mad, leave. We can deal with it tomorrow."

"I swear Paul, I'm not mad. Not anymore," Theo sighed, craning his neck to peer at me. "Can I talk to Blake please?"

"Yes," I said even though I couldn't see him. Paul sighed moved back to his chair. Exhaustion pushed at my seams. I only had four more days cooped up in here. By then my energy better have been rebuilt to the maximum.

"I'll get you food," Paul sighed at our utter silence. He got up slowly and leaned over me, kissing my forehead while pressing a hot hand to my stomach. Theo and him met eyes on his walk out. After that Theo gave me a weird questioning look. I waved it off and patted the spot beside me. He took it with a sigh.

"What're you thinking, kiddo?" I asked, folding my hands over my stomach as leaning back on the bed, closing my eyes to savor energy.

"I went to Joy and Johanna's house," he stated. I turned to look at him, a little surprised. "I figured since Joy knew how you were that she'd be of help...she wasn't. She told me to give you a chance and to stop whining about it. I'm pretty sure she was texting Seth the entire time so..."

"Sorry?" I snorted. I gave them that plan. Have Seth woo Joy over therefore Joy would end it off. Theo would go running into Johanna's arms. It sucked for Theo because it would most likely be a while before it was considered legitimate and proper for him to get with Johanna. "But hey, maybe she's not wrong."

Theo laughed. "Joy left in the middle of my rant. Seth says the furthest they've went was when they were making out and she tried to give him a blowjob - but then her mom called." He shrugged like it was nothing. I struggled to keep my jaw from dropping. He knew he was being cheated on and had no problem of it.

"Where are they even doing this?"

"On a 'date.' They actually were at our house. Joy thought I thought they were making us brownies to bring to you. I kind of offered. Do you think they need to have sex to consider it cheating or just make out a lot?" Theo got deep into thought. He seemed more concerned about his love life than his family life. I liked that more. It meant he was adjusting much better than I expected.

"Joy needs to choose Seth over you. If she's made out, you can 'only assume.'" I grinned a wicked smile. I finally understood why my friends loved hearing their little brothers talk about their personal lives. It was interesting.

"Anyways, Johanna saw me. I'm pretty sure she knows what Joy is doing. Soon she'll tell me and then it will all be over from there. Today though," Theo shook his head with a distant smile. He was caught up with this girl. "I didn't need to be told what to do. I just needed to speak my options. Johanna spoke like she actually cared about what I said. She looked really concerned when I told her how you are really my sister."

"Come on. If I'm a good mom, I'm an even better sister," I shoved him. He looked at me through his peripheral vision.

"Yes, because you were such a good mom," Theo said with sarcasm. My smile fell and I looked back to the ceiling. He nudged me to see what was wrong. I thought I wasn't a terrible mom. Sure I wasn't protective enough but Theo felt like a grown adult to me. My baby will be a baby. He'll need protecting.

"I'm pregnant." I just threw it out there. He gasped and rolled to his side to look at me in shock.

"God, I'm so sorry Blake!" Theo gushed. "Don't worry, Paul will be there too!"

I giggled. "So your apology isn't saying that I will in fact be an alright mother, but just say it's okay because Paul is there? Interesting."

"Brothers have to be honest, right?" Theo cackled. "What does Paul think?"

"He's much more excited than I am. I guess that's proper though. How old is he, really?" I asked. I didn't even know his real age.

"Twenty seven or something," Theo shrugged. I nodded with a grin. "What?"

"Nothing...it's just I've never been with somebody my age or younger," I smirked cockily. Theo pretended to choke and shoved me. "I guess it's a good thing I'm your sister and not your mom. I don't have to hide all my juicy details to keep you 'innocent.'"

"Same goes for you. Guess what position Joy did?" Never mind. It was still gross. I shoved his shoulder and we laughed it off. We continued talking about what Johanna was like, personality based, for the longest time. Paul came in and ate the food that I didn't want before falling asleep in the chair.

When we were both in near sleep, I ruffled his hair and smiled. "Love you, kiddo."

"Love you too, Blake." Still half asleep, he wrapped his arms around me. I grinned. My brother. I had a brother.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I didn't have any time, again, to review and check for any grammatical errors. This one was pretty long. Thank you for the reviews, they mean so much to me. I'm glad to hear that some think my writing is getting better as we go. To 'AWalkingWallflower,' I love the idea so much. I'm definitely keeping that in mind if there needs to be a breathing moment sometime. **

**I'd very much appreciate SIX reviews again. Don't ever be afraid to let leash on some criticism, anything to make me writing better!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Disclaimer: This world is Stephenie Meyer's. Live with it.**

* * *

><p>Blake's POV<p>

"My stomach is sweating by now," I sighed and fell back against the bed. "I don't care about your 'more attentive touch.' Paul, you can't feel it."

"He," Paul chastised and pressed further against my stomach. He insisted the baby was a boy.

"You are going to make me pee." A grin appeared on his lips and he finally released the pressure. Then he climbed over top of me while pulling my shirt up further.

"I love you so much," Paul laughed with a smirk, his face hovering inches over mine.

"I know. I love you too," a smile tugged at my lips. He was so happy about having a child while I was terrified. I hated the idea of giving up the rest of my life, of my career. "I'm scared, Paul."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure I want this as much as I should," I admitted guiltily. What mother didn't want her child? How could I be so horrible? My own mother wanted me but my father surely didn't.

"Think of all the positive things. We get to teach him to read, watch his baseball games, and so much more. We _made_ a human being! We'll go to her dance recitals and clap even when she sucks. You can braid her hair and I'll beat up the boys chasing after her," Paul's eyes pled mine earnestly. He tried to convey how much fun it would be but I just couldn't see it. The years of my life wasted. The sleepless nights would tear into my soul. It all weighed too deeply on my shoulders. "You raised Theo so far. Besides, I'll be here with you whenever it gets overwhelming."

"It's a baby, Paul! They aren't indestructible. They are picky and whiney and always getting hurt and sick. I'm almost out a job," I cried in exhaustion. "You won't ever be home to do those things. I'll clean up the puke, I'll wash the laundry, and _I'll_ be the one slowly losing my mind!"

Paul's eyes turned a darker shade of brown, the caramel speck eyeing me carefully. When he spoke, he spoke with such grief and seriousness that I couldn't stand to look away. "Blake, I spent three years taking care of my little sister. I have enough experience to know that they only get sick so rarely you don't notice it. I know they will be the ones knocking on your door asking to cuddle with you. And I know that I make enough time to take care of a child on my own so I'm sure together we can do just fine," he growled, taking his hand and pulling me closer. I fell limp in shock. He had never once mentioned of a little sister. I knew his parents got divorced but where did the sister go? His hand grew clammy on my back. It was obviously a touchy subject but one that should have been breached long ago. I could almost imagine Paul's little sister having his eyes and nose, with much rounder, innocent eyes than he. I could picture Paul picking her up when she cried over a scraped knee or giving her a bath. It gave me hope.

"You have a sister?" I repeated. Paul sighed and nodded his head. "Where-?"

"Dead." Paul said, his eyes turning stone cold. He clenched my hand so hard it hurt but I didn't scream out. Dead. My imaginary baby's face turned pale and motionless, the smile falling off her beautiful face. My heart clenched for Paul, for the baby girl. "Mom put vodka instead of water in Lucy's cup. Died of alcohol poison that night."

"So when you said you moved here with your father...?" I sat up, leveling my eyes with his. They told of a far worse story than he gave me, but he didn't need my compassion anymore. Something told me he moved on without my help. He was Paul, for crying out loud, I was pretty sure nothing could break his frame. Injure it could but Paul would never break.

"I mean Dad came home from the army for her service and moved so I didn't keep trying to 'break into prison' and kill my mom," Paul summed up. I began to ask a question but he answered before. "I was only nine."

"Paul, why didn't you tell me?" My hands clambered and pulled him against my body, his head resting against my chest while I clung to his hair. His arms weakly wrapped around my waist.

"It's the past," he declared, tilting his brown eyes to meet my matching ones. "Please Blake, believe me when I say taking care of a baby is so much better than you can imagine. Everything little thing they do is like winning a Nobel Prize. And I won't miss a damn thing. I'll fucking stop phasing if I have to."

I thought about his promises. I knew it was a struggle to stop or he would have already. He did know what he talked about. He went through the first three years. Why would they be the hardest? We were the perfect first parents. I took care of a teenager and he a baby. We'd master the in between with ease.

Finally, I cleared my throat and leaned over, pressing my lips to his forehead where his hair normally covered. "Shut up then," I murmured slowly, eyes closing. "No damn cussing around our baby."

He chuckled, his hands reaching up under my shirt to rub circles on my back. "Our baby," he sighed. Maybe there would be the outnumbered good days, but with Paul, I decided I would do anything to hear his laugh.

"Hey Paul?" I whispered. He threw his head back lazily to peer up.

"Hmm?"

"When can you remind me how we made our baby?" I strummed through his fluffy hair. He smelled so good, so warm and inviting. Paul winked, turning his head face first against my chest and rubbing his nose back and forth with laughter.

"Soon, babe, soon," Paul promised. I'd hold him to it. "I'm definitely going to take advantage of our time that we don't have to use a condom."

"Really?" I giggled, feeling more heated than before. He nodded and trailed a hand up my thigh as we talked. Soon he found my panties.

"A thong? Just for me, Princess?" Paul kissed my chest with little pecks. His hands fiddled with my underwear, searching their way under. When they did, I gasped.

"Come here," I hissed and tangled my hands in his shirt, pulling him down on top of me. His lips smashed against mine, moving and taking control. Normally I would but he was just so good at it. While my tongue ran along his lips, his hands teased me. This time, I spread my legs to wrap around his waist at the same time as giving his hands room.

As his fingers plunged into me, a loud knock sounded on the door. I moaned and tried to ignore it by increasing our kissing speed. It came again.

"What do you want?" Paul growled as I kissed along his glorious jaw line. I held my concentration even though I wanted to fall back and feel the full force of his fingers.

"Is Prego in there? I need her advice," Theo pounded on the door again.

"He's my little brother. If he really needs the help he'll have to come in here," I mumbled against Paul's skin. He nodded and continued his exploration.

"You asked for it," Theo shouted before jiggling with the locked knob. I didn't think he could pick the locks but he did. I stilled and peered over Paul's shoulder. He didn't move…or take his fingers out of me. "Are you-? Gross." He walked around so that there wasn't a chance he could accidentally look up my skirt. I kicked Paul, conveying my need to separate but he didn't move, only gained a devious smirk. "What does this mean?" Theo held up black panties.

"It means you've been doing laundry?" I breathed deeply through my words, still trying to concentrate. It didn't help that Paul's warm breath was against my neck, body pressing onto mine, or that his fingers in my vagina slowly started to move in and out. Oh I'd kill him once Theo left.

"No. Johanna slipped this in my pocket. Why?"

"She wants to fuck, something we are trying to do. Leave," Paul groaned, finally pulling his fingers out. I sighed in relief. The tension in my stomach didn't lessen even as he finally rolled off me.

"What size?" I peered.

"Medium..."

"Good," that was my size. "She obviously wants me to have them." He scoffed.

"You don't want to wear them. They are very much used," he smiled to himself.

"That's a girls way of saying to meet up with her and fuck." I cocked an eyebrow. "What about her sister?"

"I'm not sure but...I need to end it," Theo groaned, already pulling out his phone to dial Seth's number.

"Thanks for ruining the mood bro," Paul yelled. "See how you like it when I walk in on you and Johanna!" I giggled and wrapped his heavy arm around my shoulders, snuggling into his warm arms. It was so warm I got chills on parts of my legs that didn't have contact with him.

I decided to kiss up to him. "Why are you so grumpy?" I frowned playfully. Paul's lips inched towards a smile.

"Why are you adorable?" He countered with chortles. I frowned. "You know, with mine and your looks, we'll have the hottest baby alive."

"Hmm," I rolled on his chest, resting my chin on my hands. "Boys will be chasing after our little girl."

"To hell they are," Paul snorted. "If I'm one thing, I'm protective: of you first but my kids will be next."

"Next?" I snorted. "I thought all parents think of their kids first."

"I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm a selfish person and I couldn't go on without you. Kids will be a part of both of us so it will be…interesting," Paul rested his hands over my butt, under my skirt, and pulled me up closer to him. He whispered teasingly, "You know, when I do this, it almost looks like you have boobs."

I smirked and squeezed his biceps with a little too much nail usage. "You know, when I do this, I can almost hear you scream like a girl!"

"Touché," Paul kissed me sloppily and grinned. "It's okay baby, your flat chest makes it easier for me to pull you close."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." I laughed. Paul knew how to insult a person yet also make her day.

We stayed like that for a while. Neither of us wanted to move but something pulled at my mind. Two things became clear to me while I lied on the surgical bed with my brain wide open. We knew Theo was actually my brother. But something else had drifted into my mind, something that brought up memories.

"Do you remember the day we went cliff diving?" I whispered, my cheek pressed to his heated chest. Paul's hands gripped tighter around my back.

"Yes." His voice was rough and cracked. That turned out to be a very unpleasant day for both of us.

"Do you remember what I told you I saw?"

"Yes."

He didn't sound scared of the topic. He sounded sure, more sure than I was. I took a deep breath. It was one of the reasons I didn't like being knocked out for so long that day. Talking to Paul normally helped, I reminded myself.

"I saw that again in the hospital, but I remembered it this time. I – I think it really happened," I craned my neck to look up at him. He stared coldly at the ceiling. His hands clenched even harder on my back. It would be sore the next day but I was thankful of them now. They reminded me that he was there, right with me.

"I was afraid of that." He admitted. My eyebrows rose but I didn't ask a question. Paul would speak when he was ready. He obviously had some choice words about it. It puzzled me that he wasn't so surprised. "Theo remembered the same story about his sister. I had only guessed before, but when we found out about the two of you…"

"You didn't tell me?" I asked.

"No." Paul cleared his throat and looked to me. "You needed to open up about it. It helps to forget."

"Is that what you did with your family?" I cocked an eyebrow. He smiled faintly.

"No. Jared forced it out of me," Paul shook his head. "Are you okay?"

"I am. Thanks to you," I squeezed my arms around him. "You taught me to get over it without even knowing what was wrong. I can't thank you enough."

"Don't." Paul pressed his lips to my forehead. "Don't."

* * *

><p>Whenever a person finds out a medical diagnosis they immediately notice the symptoms...ten times worse than they were before. Think about it. The person is always looking out for the symptoms to be prepared so it's natural to make yourself believe you feel them just to end your wait, subconsciously of course. Basically, the person becomes a hypochondriac.<p>

That is almost always the case for pregnant women. "She's peeing...again." Theo yelled to Paul. I came out swatting his shoulder. "I thought that only happens when Bellamy's big enough to squish your bladder."

"That's right," I hopped in the truck beside Paul and Theo. "First I puked, then I puked again, then I peed, like every human being does."

"I hate this crap," Paul sighed. "When do you get horny?" I flipped him off.

"I always am but somebody is too busy," I rolled my eyes. I had been out of the hospital for a week now. All my stuff from the hospital was in a box in the corner of my room. "Who said his name is Bellamy?"

"Who said she is a he?" Paul snorted. Paul was the only one who thought the baby would be a girl. He desperately wanted one because 'he couldn't spoil me enough but he could her.'

"Bellamy sounds cool. If I have a nephew, there's no way I'm allowing you two to name him something like William," Theo's hands drummed on the window. Paul pulled in a parking spot and we began walking out. Sue Clearwater was having the Pratt's and we over for dinner. Seth and Theo decided now would be the best time to come clean. Johanna had been dropping hints for a while. Theo just had to ask her and he was sure she'd say. "Are you all going to say you are married?"

"Wasn't planning on it," Paul shrugged. "Why?"

"Her parents are very strict. Can we not tell them about Blake being pregnant?" Theo asked. "Joy and Johanna know but they haven't told."

I shrugged though Paul looked unsettled about it. "It's fine," I assured, nudging Paul who finally agreed. "They'll notice eventually and we don't have any wedding plans."

"Their son is going to phase soon," Paul informed me. "By then, the parents will be far too connected to still be in the dark. Hopefully, they'll see imprinting like most of us see it: a less strict marriage contract, ultimately."

I still had trouble understanding how it all worked. Love never was simple to me. This was very intense but I was beginning to grasp. Only Seth's family was there with Sue cooking in the kitchen. I all but moaned at the smell. Finally something smelled delicious enough that I wasn't upchucking. Paul's hand slipped into mine and squeezed, sharing my love for food.

"Tell me the game plan," Paul grinned like a child while sitting in the last chair of the living room. I plopped myself on his lap and stretched out while they talked.

"First we'll show everyone the house. Johanna and Theo will stay back talking a bit," Seth began with a grin. I waved to Leah who was in the kitchen. I knew I should have offered to help, but I was absolutely no help. We wanted it to be edible right?

"I'll tell her my suspicions and she'll confirm it. Then Seth and I will get into a 'fight.'" Theo grinned.

"It's all planned out. After that it will fall into place."

"Are you sure you want to do this in front of everyone?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Paul wouldn't be there of course but that was still a lot of people. He would leave for 'work' in a couple minutes. It turned out that his work actually was what they called patrol.

Sue came dashing in the living room while Leah held down the fort. "Blake Raine, come here this instant!" She commanded but I could hear her excitement in the words. I glanced between the guys and got up. She pulled me into a hug the moment I got near her. "Is it true? You are pregnant?"

"Yes, but-," I cringed. Women of LaPush families were much like my mom: personally pushy.

"That's wonderful! Congratulations. I never knew you were looking to have a baby," Sue hugged the life out of me again. I locked eyes over her shoulder with Paul, willing him to save me again. He chuckled and trotted over.

"That wasn't the plan," I mumbled, glaring at Paul. "I still blame him."

"His balls work too well, Blake. That's why all his past girlfriends used birth control pills _and_ used condoms!" Leah shouted with laughter. I grinned. Even though tension between us would always be high, I respected Leah enough to call her an acquaintance and almost friend. At the least, we still teased each other.

"What can I say?" Paul pulled me to his chest and hugged me from behind. "It's working out well, don't you think, Sue?" She nodded with a smile.

"Hypocrite!" Seth yelled from the living room. I forgot. Sue was a strong woman with sturdy opinions. If she saw Seth smooching on the couch she'd go by and smack him upside the head, let alone let him have premarital sex like we did.

"You hush up. They are adults, unlike you," Sue rolled her eyes. "You will be lovely parents."

"That's a first," I snorted and thanked her.

Paul tilted his head to the side and sighed. "They are coming. I'd better go before Sam comes knocking down the door. Save some food for me, Sue!"

"Of course, Paul."

I spun in his arms, leaning against his strong hands. He winked and pressed his lips to mine. I ran a hand through his hair and finally pulled away. "Love you." For a response, I kissed his cheek and shoved him towards the door. When he left, things became more boring to me, but I remembered that this would be an interesting dinner and I needed to be there for Theo at the very least. Also, I was starving.

The doorbell rang, causing the two boys to race towards the door. I beat them to it with laughter and pulled it open while they wrestled playfully to get closer to the girls. There stood a picture perfect family.

I was kidding, obviously.

Joy was lovely as ever in her Lily Pulitzer green and pink sundress. Her brown hair and brown eyes made her seem so innocent. She wore wedges. Immediately, I gave her a hug. Then I looked to her side.

Twins. They were totally identical yet utterly opposite. Their faces matched up perfectly. Johanna however stood with an edge to her stance. She had a leather black jacket on over a white shirt with dark ripped jeans. Her hair was died a beach blonde - something I envied. Very few could pull off that look. It made her look saucy and racy, a girl you would see in a porn magazine, though I didn't associate her actions with theirs. Her make up was perfection. She took the stormy eye shadow to a new level. That along with her long lashes made her the younger version of me, though I never had the materials she had. Try thinking of me like that with cheaper clothes.

Behind her stood their parents. They eyed me suspiciously, like I was too young to be a parent. I was, but that didn't matter for the moment. Off to the side stood the boy around the age of fourteen. He was a male version of Johanna. Whatever sparked these two, it didn't affect Joy.

"You must be Johanna. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," I shook her hand. She smiled curtly and walked inside. "Hello, I'm Theo's foster mom, Blake Raine."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Diane Pratt and this is Jim Pratt," the woman spoke with a criticizing tone.

"Sue is finishing up dinner. Right this way," I pulled them along. "Who is this?" I asked.

"I'm Jason," the kid said. He was what I pictured Embry was like as a child: a little lost but still cheery enough to go on. He had a plain white shirt on with jeans while his hair was combed back messily, most likely a result of Diane pestering him to 'clean up a bit.'

Sue came around the corner with a warmer smile than I pulled. Show off. "Welcome. Dinner is running a bit late. Seth can show you a tour of the house if you'd like," she offered.

So began the plan.

. . .

I grew exhausted of spying on conversations while also keeping up with the group. Though there wasn't much to be seen, Seth often backtracked in order to make sure there was time for Theo and Johanna to talk. "Don't be so rude, Jo. Theo, if you don't want to answer questions I'm going up with Seth," Joy sighed in annoyance. Seth's beaming smile shone ready to answer any question about the design of the house. Sue was a true Native American and had every detail of the house in their traditions.

"Jo?" Theo asked, nudging Johanna.

"Our nickname. We call the other Jo since it works for both," Johanna bit her lip like she was hiding something she hated. It was clear despite their differences the girls loved each other. It was actually kind of cute.

I fell in step beside her parents. It was a long journey and her parents were considerate but I could see them judging most items. Eventually, we made it to the table after a long, long tour. "So, Blake, you are dating Paul?" Diane asked. Somehow I felt like they were tying to approve of _me_ for their daughters.

"Yes," I cleared my throat and smiled.

"Is it serious?" I stared back at them in a warning. People couldn't just pick into my personal life without my knowing them. It irked me. Joy sat with a curious expression like nothing was wrong. I knew it now. She was the daddy's girl, the sweetheart. If they only knew what she has done...

"Mom, stop it," Johanna startled me. There was where the difference was made. Joy was their perfect child while these two struggled and failed to compete with her. I hated that because it seemed like Johanna was the better of the twins at the moment, no offense.

"Don't speak like that to your mother," Jim scolded. He looked to Theo again. "Theo, how have you been son?" So he liked Theo.

"Peachy," his smile was tight. He was a good actor. Johanna sat on his left side while Joy on his right, with Seth next to her. As we began to eat, I, being the spy that I was, saw Johanna toss Theo a piece of paper. They silently had a conversation while simultaneously drawing the attention of everyone. Joy cleared her throat.

"Is everything okay?" she gulped. Anxiety pulsed within her eyes.

"Seth, a word," Theo growled. Acting: on point. They both stepped into the living room, which was only separated by a glass door that kept us from hearing their words. It was a sight to see, both of them shouting and shoving each other.

"Don't you think you should do something?" Johanna stood in concern.

"They do this a lot," Sue sighed. It made us look like terrible parents but it had to be done. "How about some more chicken? Anyone?" She hurried into the kitchen leaving me stranded. I glanced over in time to see Theo throw the first punch.

"I really think they need stopped," Joy stood now, too.

"Boy will be boys," I cringed. The girls looked appalled and dashed towards the room. When they opened the door, we heard what they were shouting about.

"How could you do that? Joy is my girlfriend!" Theo tackled him to the floor. They kept wrestling.

"You always spend more time with Johanna anyways. It just happened," Seth snapped towards him. There was no winning side.

Joy was crying into Johanna's side, aware that her secret was out. Johanna held her stiffly, like she also blamed her. I watched numbly while they fought. Suddenly, Seth snapped to attention and looked up, an expression of terror on his face. Theo punched him too hard due to the distraction.

"Dude," Seth groaned. "Dude stop. Listen." Theo took a few seconds to listen and then froze. The boys rolled off each other, scrambling to their feet.

Theo cursed and ran towards me, "Blake, you need to leave. Now."

"Why?" I asked, unsure why they suddenly stopped.

"What just happened?" Johanna stomped in her black boots towards Theo.

"Don't you owe him an apology?" I didn't know whom Diane was talking to but nobody listened to her. Leah burst into the room, grabbing me by the arm.

"Let's go," she pulled me unwillingly towards the door. "They are coming."

"Who?"

"Cops. And not Charlie," Leah thrust the door open. I stumbled down the stairs towards the cars. All of ours were blocked in. There was a fire burning somewhere near. The smell drifted in my nose. "Come on! We'll hot wire a car." I tried following but my stomach heaved and I puked in the bushes. Leah backtracked and tapped her foot impatiently while I continued hacking up every piece of food I consumed earlier. "Blake!"

I stood and wiped my mouth, running two steps before more vomit came up. Leah halted when I was done. "They are here." She growled.

"We don't know they are after me," I coughed. Theo and Seth ran out the door.

"What did you do?" Seth gaped at the line of swat team vans lining the street.

My face paled. "I - I think they found the papers," I gulped, turning to Theo.

"Agent Andromeda Raine, you are under arrest for withholding information from the state," they yelled into a bullhorn. I cursed under my breath. My papers explaining every detail of the wolves were still in my pack of supplies from the hospital. I didn't send them, I was sure, but if they found those...

"What did you do?" Theo grabbed my arm. I cringed and looked down.

"They wouldn't be here if they had found it all. They somehow got a glimpse of a paper I wrote about you all..." I trailed off when a line of men broke off and made their way towards us. Guns cocked. They wanted me at no cost.

"Theo, go get those papers," Leah commanded. He protested. "We'll protect her as much as we can, but there will be nobody left to protect Johanna if they get those papers." Theo glanced wistfully back towards me. He hugged me, whispered I love you into my ear, and kissed my cheek before leading a large group of men off into the woods, where they would try to follow him. Hopefully they weren't as fast. Within a minute, popping of gunshots came. I cringed but something was off about those noises. That bullet couldn't be meant to kill. It was too soft, but why?

"Why would you write it down?" Seth cursed, looking at the many groups of threatening men.

"To clear my head, I swear I never sent it in," I felt for my gun and gripped its cool barrel. I gasped. The cameras. They caught something on camera, blew it up, and read it. That or they had a nurse working for them. I thought back on the sweet nurses that smiled too large at me. I flinched when a large howl filled the air. For once, they didn't howl due to vampires.

Slowly, the air filled with a grey, smoky cloud. "Tear gas," I choked out, yanking the two Clearwater's back. We were too late. Soon none of us could see or breathe. "Phase!" I pled but was answered with silence. I felt the air around me and came up with nothing until I fell over what I thought was a log. When my hands found it, I realized it was a body.

I clung to the neck of Seth and pried out the four tranquilizer darts. Still he moaned and tried to move. Another dart shot inches from my hand. Two feet away laid Leah. Grinding my teeth, I whipped out my gun. I wasn't going down without a fight. I had myself and a baby to protect and dammit I was going to live.

I crawled behind a car and shot blindly. Then a stinging pain filled through my neck. My energy drained out of me. Exhaustion coursed through me. Seconds later another dart hit my neck. Even though I picked them out seconds after I was hit, I was out like a light within a minute. My head fell against the rocks silently.

From there I didn't wake.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That was the last prewritten chapter. I don't have much times these days so I need a lot of motivation (reviews). How was that for a cliff hanger?**


End file.
